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The objective of research into the causes of war is to identify systematic cause-related aspects that can be
generalized and said either to lead to war or to promote the escalation of a conflict. Given that the ultimate aim of this research is to make a contribution to the prevention of war, this field is a part of peace research.
Indeed, at the end of the day, it's only possible to specify the conditions needed for peace when the causes of war are known. The causes of war are usually broken down into three levels:
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Level 1: Individual - aggression theories play the most decisive role at this level. These theories try to identify the causes of war
by looking at human nature or the human state of mind. As far as this area is concerned, a distinction can be made between a number of explanations; these are dealt with in more detail by a special section on this subject.
Level 2: Society/State - undemocratic and unjust states are more likely to be involved in conflict and war. And it is for this reason that the
democratization of states is regarded as one of the most promising peace strategies (see the section on peace strategies). According to Dieter Lutz, the findings from research into the causes of war at the state level can be divided into three groups:
 | "Wars arise out of misjudging the international situation or because the political elite lose control of political
strategies; this means that wars can be regarded as 'accidents' in the international system (incorrect perception theory). |
| Wars serve in distracting attention away from domestic political difficulties and conflicts by foreign activity (...) (substitution theory). |
| Wars arise from conscious calculations on the part of the ruling elite as part of the international struggle for the distribution of limited and therefore scant material or idealistic goods (...) (interest theory, calculation theory, imperialism theory, class theory, revolution theory, ideology theory)." |
[Dieter Lutz, Lexikon Rüstung, Frieden, Sicherheit, Munich 1987, p. 191]
Level 3: International system/nation state system - there is an argument which says that wars can be expected for as long as the globe remains split up into a large number of nation-state-based, egoistic units and for as long as the
sovereignty of the state remains. What is missing is a superior, war-preventing authority with the power of sanction and
control. This means that states are only able to prevent or defend against military
aggression with their own means of enforcing power. Given that the structure of the state system is as anarchic as it is prone to promoting war, it serves in inspiring and tempting the political elite into carrying out military-supported power politics" (Dieter Lutz, S. 193)
One of the factors that is responsible for this situation is the so-called security dilemma, which is the subject of a special page.
[Author: Ragnar Müller]
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