Why Do Wars Never End?

written by Ko Yunseo

In the last decade, many wars have happened, and they're affecting many aspects of our lives. One of them, the Iranian war and its effect is visible even in Korea, a significantly far place from Iran.

In detail, this war is not only affecting the Iranian people, but also people worldwide. It caused oil prices and exchange rates to rise.

On February 28, 2026, a full-scale conflict erupted as the U.S. and Israel launched bombardments against Iran to prevent its imminent completion of nuclear weapons. This military intervention was further driven by a commitment to regime change, following international condemnation of severe human rights violations during the early 2026 Iranian protests.

What should the international organizations and other governments do to solve this problem? 

Political realism and liberalism offer us different analyses.

Political realism views the international world as a state of anarchy, without any central government. According to it, the main reason behind the attack of Israel and the U.S. is not by moral standards as they stated. 

Rather, it’s based on national interest that Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons may destroy regional power balance and provoke a security dilemma. In this environment, a new power balance should be established to truly stop and prevent a war.

On the contrary, political liberalism emphasizes that the intervention aims to protect universal human rights and foster a democratic transition in Iran. 

According to them, the main inhibitors for war are democracy, reciprocal relationship between countries and international organizations, such as the UN.

Indeed, they state that an establishment of democratic government is needed to truly prevent a war. Also, all weapons of mass destruction should be banned to keep the peace.

People should be aware of these wars. Because nowadays, even a war from a far place can affect us significantly. Globalization is connecting the world at an unprecedented speed. 

In other words, we now have to focus on global issues more carefully.