Essay Example on Justification of Military Force

Military force is a term used when a country's military bodies like the Armed Forces does not have any other alternative but to use deadly weapons and force to protect the State and its citizens. Military force is the declaration of war on a country's enemies and may involve casting fire, discharging nuclear weapons and even dropping bombs among many others. The line that justifies military force is fragile because it could generate lots of bloodshed and hatred between countries. Military force is often the last resort to solve any crisis and must be approved by the legislative bodies in a country. However, there are instances in which military force is utterly justified.

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First, when there is an impending threat to a country's borders, and the country is on the verge of being invaded by enemies, military force may be called for. This is because when invaded, the citizen's lives will be put at risk, and a lot of bloodshed and suffering of women and children become the outcome. Fighting for one's freedom, rights and safety is a valid reason to use weapons and violence as a means for attaining peace as much as it may sound ironical. An example is World War Two when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and similar attacks were executed by America against the Jap Axis Towers to retaliate. This is the widely known Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs attack, which was very painful and cruel. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were ravaged to rubble and was unredeemable, leaving the victims bearing painful scars throughout their lives.

Moreover, military force is justified when a more extensive, wealthier and more influential country or even group of countries invades a smaller and less powerful country. This is usually a move by the more powerful nations to bully the smaller countries that cannot defend themselves. In 2008, Russia attacked The Former Soviet Republic of Georgia trying to bring it to submission, but Georgian Military forces had to retaliate and fight back as much as it was not a NATO country like the United States, United Kingdom and France which had mighty armies. The NATO countries have a lot of military support and can offer help to smaller countries with weaker forces.

Another instance where military force may be justified is when a country uses unconventional weapons against its enemies or even its citizens. An example is when President Obama, in 2014, sought the congressional authorization to strike Syria since the Syrian Air force had used sarin gas and chemical weapons on their people. Furthermore, following the September 11, 2001 attack, the U.S. military force was used in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda. The United States consequently went to war with Iraq in 2003 under the pretence that Saddam Hussein had acquired weapons of mass destruction.

Moreover, military force can be used to overthrow oppressive rulers who use unjust means to ensure they are reelected into their positions. This is justifiable if the leader is compromising the rights and freedoms of the citizens. As much as military force can be justified in some instances, it has many negative consequences such as constant conflicts between nations that may lead to fatalities and unexpected wars. War can be costly for countries because it causes significant loss of lives, and humanity is destroyed, the needs of the affected are also an excellent expense for economies. Countries should seek a more civilized way of solving their conflicting interests to cut on substantial military spending. Military force often leads to significant exploitation and peace should be the first alternative to be considered in impending wars.

Works Cited

Hensel, Howard M. The law of armed conflict: constraints on the contemporary use of military force. Routledge, 2017.https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2016-0-35595-2&isbn=9781351887007&format=googlePreviewPdf

Hensel, Howard M., ed. The legitimate use of military force: the just war tradition and the customary law of armed conflict. Routledge, 2016.. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=A--qCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Hensel,+H.+M.+(Ed.).+(2016).+the+legitimate+use+of+military+force:+the+just+war+tradition+and+the+customary+law+of+armed+conflict.+Routledge.&ots=uR4tHyLoKx&sig=-wZZNGzhv9XZA5DirT9Mw1Q0RfI