Aggression is not a Standard Character in Humanity - Term Paper Example

Name Tutor Course Date Introduction Since medieval times, humans have experienced conflicts in many perspectives. From the scramble of resources to differences in opinion, there has never been a lack of triggers. Even in the modern times, the world has had to deal with some of the worst conflicts in recorded history. For instance the United Nations cam into being as a result of global conflicts that necessitated people from around the globe to think of ways to deal with conflict before it degenerates into war. In almost a century, the world has not seen major global conflict. The worst has been regional strife where interests within a specific part of the global compete for dominance. It is as if aggression is an innate aspect in humans since everyone tries to prevail over the others and resorts to force when this does not occur. But this is arguable because not all humans have this tendency. Some resort to handling issues amicably to ensure peace prevails. This paper demonstrates that aggression is not a standard character in humanity and that the world is on course to realize lasting peace. Cold war At the height of the cold war, many expected the struggle for dominance between the two global superpowers to degenerate into a full blown war. However, things took a different twist when the USA and USSR decided to rally regional powers behind them. This is exactly how the two global wars unfolded but in this scenario, the superpowers saw that the only way to attain dominance was through ideology (STONE, 675). In the end, it became a matter of communism versus capitalism. It is very clear which side won since even the then leading communist power has since disintegrated into fragments such as Russia and Ukraine among other members of the former Soviet Union. The mentioned countries are now staunch capitalistic economies. The USA prevailed in the battle of ideologies and continues to exert its dominance globally (Barnes, 130 ). The fact that this never turned into a vicious conflict was that the world had learned its lesson from the last global wars and were cautious about the destructive nature of war. If it was true that aggression was human nature then history would have been different as we know it. It could have included a vicious war between these two giants whose consequences could have been much worse than the world wars. Political and economic dominance Like in the above case, events from the century have recently been playing in the global arena. The only difference is that the players are slightly different. Recently, most developed nations have been concerned about the rising influence of China globally. This Asian nation has been making headlines for its rapid economic growth that has since surpassed Japan to become the world’s second largest economy. Experts predict it is scheduled to overtake the USA by 2030. Recently, the Chinese have been making diplomatic inroads in the developing world especially Africa where it is now among the major investors and economic partners. This has led many to the speculation that this could lead into a conflict between the USA and China. However, this will never be possible because the world has now matured. All countries seem to be concerned about their interests as opposed to the past. What fueled the two global wars was that countries had entered into secret pacts to defend one another. This is no longer the case as most countries are busy growing their economies. There is no way they will be convinced to neglect such a serious engagement for one that can only inflict more damage to humanity. For this reason it is safe to say that global peace is not at stake and the two powers will have to work out a way to coexist even in the event of changing economic status. The fact that China has embarked upon a strategy to grow its economy and increase its diplomatic influence globally is testament to the fact that aggression is not innate in humans. On the other hand it could have chosen to build military capacity and attack its rivals. United Nations The UN’s predecessor, the League of Nations was in place to serve almost a similar purpose as the current organization. However, it became apparent that it was unable to dispense its mandate mainly due to institutional constraints. The body was what many would refer to as a toothless since it could not prevail over the dominant members. Such members could operate with impunity without facing dire consequences. This is in specific reference to Germany which played a central role in starting the two wars. However, times have changed and the UN is now close to a global government. It has its own infrastructure and is independent from any influence even from the major contributors (Berliner, Daniel, and Aseem 217). The UN has played a central role in averting catastrophes around the globe by intervening in conflict in efforts to try and restore peace and tranquility. Even when it does not have to send its own personnel or infrastructure, the UN coordinates member countries including their infrastructure and personnel to ensure they uphold its mandate. They should not intervene into conflicts to restore peace not for their selfish interests. The presence of the UN is a telling sign that global peace is not under threat and will always prevail. Many civil wars have been witnessed but none has spilt into the global arena to threaten global peace. The presence of this international body has been the underlying belief for humans that there is need to suppress aggression. One would not have expected the body to last this long. Intolerance Another threat to global peace could be the issue of intolerance and insurgency. Specific examples include a globally infamous organization such as Al Qaeda which has been notorious for a string of attacks on various western nations and their interests (Baker, 33). Their underlying ideology is not clear though it is all about ensuring their agenda prevails. In the past, such ragtag organizations hid behind the religious veil claiming to forward Islamic teaching for the fact that most members were Muslim.  After Al Qaeda emerged the vicious ISIS which has made it clear that it wants to create an Islamic republic out of the existing nations around the Middle East region. This has prompted even the countries that were sympathetic to these organizations to join in the war to suppress their quest. This has made it clear that these informal organizations can no longer be the cause of conflict. In the event that they had succeeded in creating a rift between Muslim and Western worlds, there could have been a possible all out war. But they have failed and can no longer continue to hide behind religion. The entire Muslim society has assured the world that their religion is all about peace and a few crooks should not be used as the yard stick for the rest. At one moment in the past, it would have been true to say that aggression is human nature due to the presence of violence triggered by such insurgents. But the recent events have proved that only a few individuals might possess this trait and choose to apply it. Globalization From the above discussion, it has become clear that differences of opinion have done much to fuel conflict in the world. In many cases, conflicts have arisen out of differences that parties could not tolerate or merge with. This has and was a major source of war for a long time. But the world has made tremendous progress that it has come to be known as a global village. There are now global business organizations, regional economic blocks, and cooperation in many sectors spanning across various countries. Furthermore, the emergence of the internet has further made it possible for communication to occur in real time. As all these continue to happen, individuals and groups have come to understand one another better. It is now possible for people from diverse backgrounds to exist harmoniously. What is more, there is also what many refer to as ‘global culture’ which is a phenomenon where more and more individuals and groups have began to display similar culture and behavior. This new global culture borrows heavily from different backgrounds and is easy for everyone to relate to (Merkle, 727). In the end, the world is slowly becoming more and more similar. This is a signal of peaceful coexistence in the future since differences in ideologies fuel many conflicts. It is also a telling signal about human nature which is to coexist as social beings that we are. Aggression might exist within the human species but is not the dominant aspect. It is only the last resort when all diplomatic efforts fail. Otherwise humans will always strive to live in harmony. Divided attention There has been continuous string of small conflicts but not to the level of the two last global wars. This however could be a time bomb as some of these regional wars draw in many participants from around the world. The perfect example is in the civil war in Syria which has seen among others Russia, USA, and UN intervene (Boxx, 150). On the other hand, infamous organizations have also joined in the war such as Hezbollah and ISIS which are notorious for terrorist attacks. This is perplexing because the conflict began when demonstrators wanted to se an end to the long regime of the current authority. This is just one example among many where the initial cause of the conflict has been sidelined and the conflict taken a different perspective. In other regions, civil wars continue can occur for extended durations such as the one in Colombia. With the numerous small conflicts across the world, it will become very difficult for an all out global war to occur. All these individuals will learn independently to avoid conflicts at all costs. Furthermore, the period just before the First World War experienced global tranquility where countries were busy arming themselves. It is approaching a century since this period and the events are far from the ones in the past. Right now the world is working towards ways to institutionalize peace. Reactions to North Korea nuclear aspirations North Korea seems to be the latest country to embark upon a mission to develop nuclear weapons. This comes against the backdrop of a united world that is opposed to such aspirations and has even placed a ban on testing nuclear weapons. The country has been deaf to calls for it to stop its developing and testing of nuclear weapons. As a result, it has been on the receiving end of economic sanctions for it to comply with the international community (Maass, 140). Similar strategies were used against Iran until it decided to return to the negotiating table. The common stand by the international community is living proof of the truth about aggression. It is not innate but a superficial means to resolve conflict. The world could not have joined efforts in condemning tactics by North Korea and Iran for harboring nuclear ambitions. This is also good news to many since the world is not about to enter into serious conflict any time soon. The decision to place an embargo on nuclear weapons will go a long way to ensure that peace will last in the world. Decreasing military expenditure The prevailing trend is one where countries have been decreasing their military expenditure. In the above point, most countries were busy building military capacity before the onset of the war. It was not that they anticipated the war but a tactic to counter similar efforts by neighbors. This way the slightest of triggers was sufficient to attract heavy military response which degenerated into a global war. But with more and more countries decreasing expenditures in military and warfare equipment, the world peace cannot be under threat. This means that there cannot be fierce response to small conflicts that can be solved amicably. The basic military expenditure is only meant for maintenance. In any case, the military expenditures have a direct correlation with possibility of threats. It seems most countries do not feel threatened which is good for lasting peace. Aggression as an innate factor in humans Even though the above examples demonstrate that aggression is not inborn, it could also be the other way around. All the above cases have shown how cases that could threaten global peace have been broken down by various factors. However, it does not help the fact at the end of the day that aggression is a common characteristic in the above cases (Möller, 110). It is as if humans are program to resort to violence at the slightest provocation. If this is not the case, there could not be many cases of civil wars around the world. The existence of the UN in the first case is a telling sign of human nature. This international body has the mandate spanning across various issues such as providing assistance during natural disaster or overseeing transnational phenomena. However, the body is entirely famous for intervening in wars (Edwards, 10). If humans were not as aggressive as others might refute, then the UN would have been famous for say providing food to starving people across the world or such natural disasters. But no, it is common to associate the UN with war. Even the most powerful body within its structure is the UN peace council which has the mandate to recommend measures to counter warfare. These are just signs that humans cannot hide from their aggressive nature no matter how far they run. Humans tend to display behaviors similar to animals which rely on aggression throughout their lives (Miczek, Klaus A., Sietse de Boer F., and Jozsef 450). From feeding to mating it is all about what most refer to survival of the fittest. Perhaps humans are living up to this concept but on a different platform. Humans might after all not be very different from the animals due to striking similarity in the form of aggression. Conclusion It is still a debate about whether aggression is innate in humans. The presence of numerous conflicts around the world and in recorded history is testament to the fact that humans possess aggression. Whereas this could be true, it is a fallacy to argue that it is an innate character in all humans. Perhaps those in positions of power had to resort to violence to get things done. But from history, it is also clear that humans have also displayed efforts to discourage aggression or all out warfare. This also displays that the need for peace is much stronger than aggression in humans. This is why humans have always worked out ways to restore peace. Through the ages as it has been demonstrated above, humans have learnt of the destructive nature of war and have always resorted to peace. All these have culminated into common beliefs that the world has started to display with the amalgamation of cultures. All signs are in the air that very soon the much sought after peaceful coexistence will be realized.   Works Cited Baker, Raymond William. 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