There is no longer a such thing as a "just" war.

Just war: a war that is deemed to be morally or theologically justifiable. [1] War: a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. [2] To put into broader terms, a "just" war would be a war in which the taking of human lives , and damage to humanity and the earth itself is justified by some principle or another. Wars are waged for trivial political and economic motivations, expansionist ideals, religious disagreements, and sundry other reasons, none of which reasons can justify the taking of human lives, as well as the destruction of land and homes. Example #1: Crimean War (1853-1856) The Crimean War is largely regarded as the first modern war. This war was Russia against the Ottoman Empire, France, Great Britain and Sardinia. [3] France, Russia, and Great Britain were all competing for the control of access to the religious sites in the Holy Land. [4] This ultimately boils down to influence in the Middle East, particularly Turkey. [4] Also during this time, Russia had grown into a considerable military power. This left Britain to worry that Russia would expand to the point of holding power over the Mediterranean Sea. [5] There were over 500,000 military casualties in total. [6] These people died so their countries could hope to achieve influence in Turkey and the Holy Lands. Example #2: World War II (1939-1945) This is inarguably the most infamous war in the history of the world, involving countries from all across the globe, hence the apt name of the war. Weimar Germany was angered by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles,[7] which created the Covenant of the League of Nations, outlined Germany's disarmament, exacted massive reparation payments from Germany, and forced Germany to cede large tracts of territory to various European nation-states. [8] Germans felt these terms were both extreme and unfair. German leader Adolf Hitler was also expansionist, seeking world domination with the Third Reich. [9] This 1000 year German Empire also involved a racist utopia consisting of only those of the Aryan race (blonde hair, blue eyes), and the systematic elimination of all others,[10] subsequently causing the Holocaust. Japan entered the war with the notion of becoming a major colonial power. [11] It is a commonly held belief that America entered World War II for the following reasons: (1) the need to protect the U. S. from a direct invasion by Germany and/or Japan; (2) the moral imperative to stop the domination of the tyrannies of Nazi Germany and imperial Japan in the cause of furthering democracy; and (3) the need to do all we could to rescue the Jews who were being annihilated by the Nazis. [12] This, however, was not truly the case. In actuality, the United States had four underlying reasons to enter the global war: (1) they had long been involved in a clash of imperialisms with Japan (the attack on Pearl Harbor had been a last-ditch resort for the Japanese; in summer and early autumn of 1941, the Japanese Prime Minister wanted to meet with President Roosevelt to try to defuse the conflict, and Roosevelt refused to do so); (2) the U. S. had been growing ever closer to Britain, and had already been aiding their cause in the way for a while; (3) prior to the outbreak of the war, American business interests were heavily invested in the Hitler regime, and these businesses realized it would bode poorly for them if Germany became an economic free agent; and (4) American military and business elites stood to benefit greatly from entering the war, as they could move to a place of power and influence within the federal government. [12] These reasons are far less noble and "just" than what the general public is led to believe. Many believe that the United States wanted to put an end to the annihilation of Jews, and that is one reason they entered the war; this is not the case. America had a tepid response to the Holocaust. The U. S. immigration system severely limited the number of German Jews admitted during the Nazi years to about 26,000 annually, but even that quota was less than 25% filled during most of the Hitler era, as the Roosevelt administration piled on so many extra requirements for would-be immigrants. [13] Roosevelt also suggested that the best answer to the "Jewish question" was to "spread the Jews thin across the world. "[13] It is clear that the rescuing of the Jewish people was not high on the list of American priorities. After six years of bloodshed, the war would end. A total of 63,185,500 people lost their lives,[14] including 10 million Jews, gypsies, Jehovah's witnesses, homosexuals, Slavs, Soviet POWs, and people with mental and physical disabilities who perished in German concentration camps. [15] Countless atrocities to humanity, as well as millions of deaths and damage to cities and land, occurred over expansionism, racism, economic motivations, and political disagreements. Example #3: War in Afghanistan (2001-present) On October 7, 2001, after the 9/11 attacks in America, President George W. Bush declared war on Afghanistan to "liberate" the country from the terrorist network and Al Qaeda, find Osama Bin Laden, and dismantle the reigning Taliban regime. [16] A picture is painted for the public that the security of America and the Free World alike necessitates increased activity in Afghanistan. [17] Contrary to popular belief, the security of the American nation is not directly tied to this country in the Middle East. The building and protection of oil and gas pipelines in Afghanistan has been a key objective of US policy since before the 2001 American invasion and occupation of the country. [17] The initial American objectives have virtually been completed: Al Qaeda is virtually vanquished and the Taliban now poses little threat to America. [18] Yet, in spite of this, Americans are still dying each day for the true objective: oil. Close to 15,000 civilians have been killed in the war, along with over 2,000 American troops. [19] These numbers are still climbing today, and climb to protect oil pipelines. These wars cannot be justified. Economics, expansionism, racism, need for political dominance, need for natural resources--none of these can justify the taking of millions upon millions of human lives, and the damage it does to the physical world and the souls of those involved. Sources [1] . http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... [2] . http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... [3] . http://www.infoplease.com... [4] . http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk... [5] . http://history1800s.about.com... [6] . http://wars.findthedata.org... [7] . http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk... [8] . http://fcit.usf.edu... [9] . http://www.johndclare.net... [10] . http://teachinghistory.org... [11] . http://www.theguardian.com... [12] . http://thinkingpacifism.net... [13] . http://articles.latimes.com... [14] . http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com... [15] . http://www.qualityinformationpublishers.com... [16] . http://ftmdaily.com... [17] . http://www.counterpunch.org... [18] . http://www.thedailybeast.com... [19] . http://www.juancole.com...