World wars and national conflicts may have several reasons for occurring, and it is crucial to understand their nature to reveal the processes involved. Historically, both WWI and WWII began as a result of European expansionism or imperialism as the expansion of the powers by specific nations creates increased tensions between countries. As the influence of powerful states increases, the nations being put under control are governed through coercion, with colonial governments feeling exploited and dissatisfied by ‘mother countries,’ thus resulting in resentment and subsequent military action.
Besides imperialistic ideas, wars, especially those occurring at a national level, have been caused by differing ideologies within a region. For example, Korean War began as a result of the persistent spreading of communist ideas in the North of the country, while the South did not share the sentiment and preferred the move toward democracy. While the USSR and PRC were in significant support of the North, the US provided aid and military support to the South, illustrating the opposition of ideologies on both national (Korean) and international levels.
The inability of countries to negotiate favorable conditions and compromise can also be a reason for military action. For example, the Israel-Palestine dispute, the length of which soon reaches a century, occurred because of the lack of agreement regarding territorial possession and the annexation of a region by one of the states. The inability to compromise leads to discriminatory policies, such as the eviction of Palestinians from Jerusalem, or the clashes between ethnic groups, which increases tensions between countries, which is why they remain unable to establish total peace to this day. Overall, in all reasons for national and international conflicts, states rarely put the interests of their citizens first, which creates barriers to resolution.