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How do wars end today?

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For many young Europeans, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 is the first time that the shadow of a great war has appeared in such close territories, with visible consequences in daily life due to the interruption of exports and trade routes. The question that many young people are dealing with now is: once wars start, for the most varied reasons, what must happen to end it?

The reasons can be many. There is this interesting article published by MIT, which lists the main reasons why wars have ended in the past. It is a long and detailed list, but it can be skimmed and summarized in the main possibilities that you find below. Here’s how, nowadays, a war is more likely to end:

  • The involved part in military disadvantage understands that they cannot win and surrenders to limit the damage: usually in this case the surrender is unconditional, as happened for Germany in World War II. Yet this is not the most frequent resolution of wars.
  • The parties involved in war understand the likely outcome and decide that it is no longer necessary to continue fighting: this can happen either when the probable victory of one side is clear or when there is an agreement in a fundamental equality of forces. In order to avoid the negative consequences of the war for both parts, negotiations for the resolution of the conflict are initiated. If one side has shown greater power, it will be able to make more requests, otherwise the negotiations can take place on an equal ground, with the common intention of not wanting to continue the war.
  • The nation with the military advantage achieves its primary objectives and decides not to continue: this represents the victory of the strongest nation, in cases where the goal was not the annihilation of the enemy.
  • A great power (even outside the war) pressures for the start of peace negotiations: in view of the fact that one of the most common ways of ending a war is with the start of negotiations, these can also start thanks to external pressure.
  • The attacking party ceases fire: this can happen for various reasons, for example because the waste of resources or the losses have become unacceptable compared to the original goal, or because there is the possibility that the conflict will result in a war too large to be sustained, or because perpetuating the attacks would create problems with allied nations. This option can also become real when the leader of the attacking side declares a “ceasefire” or if senior army officials suggest this option.
How many wars are going on right now?

Each war is a story in itself, of course, and if there are also strong ideological or religious motivations behind it, things become even more difficult. The basic idea, however, is that every nation in war suffers great damage and has every intention of ending it as soon as possible, if the resolution of the conflict is respectful of the interests involved.

Published by Carlo Affatigato

Carlo has been a web content creator for over 10 years. He founded Auralcrave in 2015, envisioning it as a new space capable of offering different perspectives on topics that passionate all of us. With a scientific background, Carlo developed an interest in music, cinema, literature, and art at a young age, transforming it into a complementary dimension to his professional growth. For years, he was a music journalist specializing in electronic and dance music, writing for the most important Italian magazines (both online and print). Movies and TV series have been a true obsession in many phases of his life: during university, it was not uncommon for him to set the alarm in the middle of the night to watch classic films airing on TV. With the advent of the Internet, Carlo became a keen observer of web and social phenomena, addressing light topics such as advertising, trends, fashion, and general themes. He is the main author of Auralcrave and personally manages its social media, editorial line, book publication, resource management, and business expansion. A former engineer, life coach, husband, and father, he believes that every area of knowledge has interesting stories that deserve to be told and is convinced that doing so makes the world a better place.