What are wars?
Rahman Mohamed

Throughout all time, across all civilizations, cultures and empires have fought for dominance over each other. This has been the central cause of war. No wars have been more damaging, physically and psychologically, than today’s wars.

War: “fighting between nations,” “[a] state of hostility,” and “conflict, contest”.

But today’s wars have a definition, more than a dictionary definition. They’re supposed to be regulated using charters and laws. These “legal” wars are supposed to ensure that wars help resolve issues causing as little harm and damage as possible.

According to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations (1973) Chapter VII: Action With Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression, wars are allowed by any of the UN’s member countries if it’s acting to defend itself or another nation. Chapter VII states that the Security Council won’t be obligated to take action to maintain international peace, its defined duty.

But can any form of violence causing death and injury be legal or ethical?