On War

Defense of War, Nigel Biggar argues that war can be a just means to correct acts of injustice taken by many countries, and that it is the duty of other countries to defend those who cannot defend themselves; just war, therefore, must be a humanitarian, defensive action. Biggar supports this thesis by first explaining the two basic principles of just war: jus ad bellum-- regarding the justice of going to war in the first place-- and in bello-- regarding justice in the course of fighting while in…

While directing The War Room, a documentary account of Clinton’s 1992 election campaign, D.A. Pennebaker had to work within a world of limitations. Limited time, limited access to his subjects, and even self-imposed limitations rooted in Pennebaker’s cinema verite style all could have led to a narrow-scoped film lacking in depth and clarity. Instead however, Pennebaker flourishes in this world of limitations. His resulting documentary uses camera angles, audio, and humor to humanize the…

The wars in Vietnam and Korea, during the Cold War, were both attempts made by the United States to stop/slow the spread of communism in East Asia. During these two wars, the US was unwilling to partake in total warfare, yet was not prepared to lose in battle. Due to this, limited options were available for the US to remain in their position of dominant world power, achieved in their victory during the Second World War. How did the United States position as dominant power in the World coming out…

Gears of War 4 is a third-person, cover-based shooter developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios. Gears of War 4 continues the series' overarching story and is set 25 years after the events of the third installment. How does The Coalition's take on the franchise fare with the first Gears of War title on current-gen hardware? RISE OF PHENIX JR. First Minister of the reconstituted Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) Jinn walks across the stage and assumes her place behind…

Finally, the five year civil war is over and with a clear winner. Minamoto Yoritomo, the son of the magnificent Minamoto leader, Yoshitomo (who had died in 1160 in his own similar revolt) has organised and won the revolt against the Taira clan on behalf of the Minamoto family. On May 5th in 1180, Minamoto Yoritomo and Prince Mochihito began to gather alliances. By the very next month, Prince Mochihito had a bounty over his head and was forced to flee to a monastery in Mii-dera. After news of…

Leading a war always requires from the enemies a long period of preparation in order to be able to win and to gain freedom. Thus, Athens also wanted to become free, independent, and recognized by others. Thus, in order to build Athenian freedom, before the Peloponnesian War Athens had to conquer and enslave others. Only in this way could remind others about their power and to establish the freedom of Athens. However, the freedom that they were able to gain was immensely fragile and delicate…

Thucydides, an Athenian historian and philosopher, is known for his contributions to the topic of political realism. One of his most notable works on this subject tells the history of the Peloponnesian War. Halfway through this war, Athens decided that they wanted to take over the last island that was not theirs. The conflict that arose between the Athenians and the people of the island Melos gave life to the quote “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” I agree with…

Owen is renowned throughout history as a poet who wouldn’t steer shy of the truth. This is evident throughout his work as he tells the truth about the utter barbarism of war, without holding back. He is therefore not consequently influenced by propaganda nor the past. The theme of the brutality of war is further enhanced throughout Mental Cases with the use of several uses of rhetorical questions in the first six lines. The first question “who are these?” shows us that the state of the soldiers…

superpower, “greater Yugoslavia”. Soon after Tito’s death, politicians began imposing nationalistic regimes, which only pinned the Serbs, Croats, and the Bosnians against each other which would later ignite the flame of a full blown nationalistic war. The Yugoslav wars facilitated the breakup of the country, which started on June 25, 1991 and it would prolong to 2001. The Republic of Slovenia, which was followed very shortly…

conflicts including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and several other smaller or unofficial engagements. The use of propaganda acts as a common thread that ties all these military actions together. Countries rely on propaganda during wartime for a variety of reasons. Among other things, propaganda can motivate soldiers to fight, instill a strong hatred for the enemy, or drum up support on the…