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Honor and War

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POLI 150: Causes of Intl. Conflict
30 October 2012
Honor and War
Studying war is no easy task. There are many variables to consider and various factors at play. Ethics, morality, greed, religion, honor—the list could go on forever. With such a plethora of motivating variables behind war it can be quite difficult in deciding which specific factors would be the most productive in dedicating the time to scientifically study. This paper is going to focus on one of those factors: honor. Honor is a productive variable in the scientific study of war because it has historically been a major factor in war and conflict. In July of 1914 during World War I the Belgians were given a choice by the aggressive German military: either allow the German military unrestricted access through Belgian territories and remain unharmed, or be mercilessly slaughtered like cattle. Belgium’s reply to this ultimatum was: “Were it to accept the proposals laid before it, the Belgian Government would sacrifice the nations honor while being false to its duties towards Europe.” This may seem like a normal response that would be given to any bully by those on the defense; however, this reply was unique because the Belgian government knew beforehand that it did not have the military might needed to stand up to the Germans—it simply wanted to preserve honor. In fact, the Belgian government knew that by not complying with the Germans militant request they would most certainly face their own demise. This is illustrated by the Belgian Chief of Staff during the second meeting with the Crown Council a month after the German ultimatum was issued. The Council asked: “Can our army fight a defensive battle alone with a chance of halting the enemy? Is our army completely ready to meet the attack of the enemy?” To which the Chief of Staff replied: “No, the war has caught us in the very act of

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