Assignment 9 - Justin Zhu

Personally, I believe war should never occur, but I also recognize war as the best method to combat aggression. In all cases of war, there's always a side that attacks first, maybe it for land, resources, or simply to assert dominance, and there's no real way to combat this type of aggression without war. Take for example World War 2, which started as a result of Germany's aggression. While Germany initiated, the surrounding countries had no other choice but to engage in war to protect themselves and their citizens. I mean there are alternatives to war, such as surrendering, but in the end this is often more detrimental to the surrendering country's citizens. Take for example the tribute system in ancient Asia. The citizens of tribute countries to China, such as Korea and Vietnam, were taken advantage of by Chinese officials. The only time in which surrender is a better alternative to war is in the face of an overwhelming power, but today there are almost no cases in which this occurs. Each country has their own connections to more powerful states. Were lucky today there aren't any fully active wars, but relations are tense across the world.