SS Notes

Well, my own personal simplified version of IR.

For "Why do countries fakking go to war over xxxxxxx"

Countries go to conflict over territorial conflicts is mainly due to the competition
over the certain tracts of land that mean alot to countries as it could represent
their national pride, defence and could be economically or strategically important.
If a country is claimed by 2 countries, a conflict will occur. Countries go to war
when a country extends its control by taking countries that doesn't belong to them.
An example would be the conflict between India and China. The countries could not draw a clear border as most of it lies within the inaccessable regions of the Himelayas. Namely the Aksai Chin plateau, where China built a road and thus, the
Indian government saw this as a violation of its territorial rights. War broke out and ended in the 1990s. Small conflicts still occur between these two countries after
the war.(Insert linking statement here).

Countries go to conflict over natural scarce resources. The resources in the world
are divided unequally among different countries. This means that some countries
could have more, while some could have less. As a result, countries that have less
resources might try to obtain resources from other countries, thus also, violating
territorial rights of the other country. An example would be the conflict
between Britain and Iceland. When Britain started fishing near Iceland's waters, the
people of Iceland felt that its national interest was being threatened as the
fishing industry was the main source of income. Over fishing might deplete their stock of fish. When Britain did not comply to the extention of the fishing grounds, conflict broke out. But it soon ended when the countries came into an agreement.

Lastly, countries can also go to war over ideological beliefs. When a country feels
that its ideology is being threatened, it can lead to conflict. An example would be
the war between democracy and communism which resulted in a world divided, applied to
the conflict between south korea and North Korea, South Korea being democratic
and North Korea being communist.(US had a democratic system, USSR had a communist system. Their politcal system became models to countries that become independant after the war.)

Conflict over territory is the most important as completing claims over territories are important to a country not only for its economic value, but its national pride.
Countries with more land are seen to be more superior when compared to countries with less land. It also resembles its defence and air superiority. Conflicts over
scarce resources are seen to be an excuse to claim land. Trading could be used instead of starting a war. Ideological differences could very well be the most important factor if not for communism collapsing in the Soviet Union. Now, the main sources of conflict is the conflict over territories, for example, Singapore and Malaysia over the Spratly Islands. And the conflict over Pedra Blanca.

L611/12
or
L512/13
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Deterrance and Diplomacy Notes :

IN A NUTSHELL:
Diplomacy is the war countries manage relations with other countries peacefully
Friendly relations are also maintained so as to share common interests and discuss on
conflicting interests peaceful. An example of a international successful diplomacy is
the UN, it aimed to preserve world peace by handling out food and medical supplies
to the needy countries. Every member has a say in the UN. Being a member, Singapore
has managed to achieve economical and social growth from the UN. To preserve peace and stablility, Singapore forged better relations with the ASEAN and uses it as a platform to discuss environmental issues such as the haze issue peacefully with neighbouring countries. Bilateral relations also helped Singapore in promoting politcal, economical and cultural ties with other neighbouring countries.

Deterreance is the strategy used by many countries to prevent any conflict from happening towards their country and preserving their independance. It as also seen
as the power of their military and to make aggressors think twice before attacking.
Deterrance involves the use of the armed forces. In singapore, Deterrance is
practiced through, a citizen armed force, the SAF, the total defence, a defence
industry, multi-agency coordination and military co-operation with neighbouring countries.
Singapore imposed a complusory service for males 18 and above to serve in the NS
in order to make sure Singapore is trained and ready. Also, in Singapore, due
to our small size, we have to rely on our technological advances.
Citizen armed forces : The NS and the SAF. It consists of mainly military defence.
It recruits young men into the army to develop national identity as well as loyalty to the country while going through military training. It enhances their skill in handling weapons and up to date technology the Defence industry can offer. As a result, this helps Singaporeans develop the sense of being able to protect their home country. With these, the SAF becomes self reliant.
Total defence : Civil defence, psychological defence, military defence, social defence and economical defence. For Total defence to work, singaporeans must
see themselves as one and work together. Total defence makes Singaporeans think
singapore is worth defending and we all can play a part in protecting singapore, as a result, it deters potential attackers.
Defence Industry : Singapore is small, the defence industry enhances the SAF by developing up-to-date technology to bring out the full potential of the SAF, such
as developing the first helicopter flown howitzer, the Third Generation SAF. Shares
infomation with other countries.
Multi agency coordination : The networking of all the difference defences together.
Such as the civil defence and the military defence. It shares inteligence among
the different sectors MOE, MOM etc. It is to make sure that Singapore is well maintained and able to take security issues quick and efficently. It also deters
attackers by preventing their attacks even before it happens.
Military Cooperation : Conducts training with other neighbouring countries such as malaysia and indonesia. It strengthen the ties between the countries as well as improving the cooperation and coordination. For example, the five power defence arrangements which was developed served this purpose.