Lyza Shane L.

Bernal April 2, 2023

XI - Discipline EAPP

Introduction: From General to Specific

I. Background – (pwede ran ga brief intro on the between Ukraine and Russia)

On February 24, 2022 – Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, announced the

commencement of their “special military operations” against Ukraine. It was a full-blown
invasion along with almost 190,000 Russian troops encircling their borders during the
earlier weeks as estimated by Western defense analysts (Ray, 2023). The military
tension between the two countries is still ongoing together with a multitude of casualties
emerging from the existence of war.

II. Defining key terms – What is military tension? How does it happen?

Military tension refers to the conflict between two countries in terms of exercising their
military forces that often leads to war that causes negative repercussions involving
civilians (Bizău & Stănciulescu, 2022).

III. Thesis Statement – What is your mega argument or what will be your essay about?

In this essay, we will delve further to discuss on the motivations that arise military
tensions, as well as its ramifications to people’s lives and safety.

(causes and effects of military tensions)

IV. Confirm your Position – “By doing so” or “So that”

so that we can be capable of discerning whether or not our county is presently

experiencing one.

Body: POINT - EVIDENCE - EXPLANATION - LINK

I. Topic sentence 1 (Point) CAPITALISM

One of the major motivations of military tension is capitalism.

- Evidence/Example 1 and 2

In 2021, Credit Suisse Global Wealth reported that 45.8% - nearly half of the world’s
total wealth is owned only by 1.1% of the global population. Adam Smith, the father of
capitalism, believed that we are free to control our wealth without the intervention from
the government, and to widen equality economically. However, as the decades passed,
the essence of capitalism has been working on the opposite objective. The freedom
behind this system had been granting governments, and other powerful individuals a
pathway to boost their power and wealth, thus leaves no chance for others to progress
resulting to augmentation of the global wealth gap – wherein, only those part of the elite
class control the economy.

- Explanation on why the point is significant, and how it helps your argument (“So
what?” Persuade the reader)

Capitalism has been weaponized by dominant states as another form of imperialism

that secures their place in the world order – firmly pressing on the fact that in order for
them to gain profit, others have to concede to subjugation. That is why capitalism will
always coexist with militarism as the leading trigger for conflicts throughout the states as
its oppressive system lies on exploitation.

- Link to the next paragraph (how the parts of your argument are connected

II. Topic Sentence 2

Another motivation that provokes military tension is geopolitical tensions.

- Evidence/Example

(The conflict between China and the Philippines in the Western Philippine Sea (a.k.a.
the South China Sea) is the result of years of territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands
– a group of 7,500 islands and reefs that multiple countries have claimed as their own.
China is no different. It cites the “nine-dash line,” which first appeared in 1947 atlases,
as the basis for its claim. The line, it said, is a historical demarcation of its continental
shelf, although the line itself has no fixed coordinates. Currently, the “nine-dash line”
which appears in Chinese maps, claims a majority of the South China Sea as part of
China’s national boundary and asserts sovereignty over the islands within and the
adjacent water. This has emboldened China to build artificial islands in the Spratlys,
damaging the ecosystem of the West Philippine Sea in the process. However, China’s
self-proclaimed demarcation contradicts the UNCLOS or the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea. UNCLOS is the international standard for maritime zones such
as: Territorial waters, Contiguous zone, Exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Continental
shelves. Despite diplomatic resolutions, tensions over opposing claims reached a
breaking point in 2012 with the Scarborough Shoal Standoff, in which Chinese
surveillance vessels prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen
anchored within the atoll.)

(Competition for resources: Geopolitical tensions may arise when nations compete for
resources such as oil, gas, and minerals. This can lead to military tensions as nations
seek to secure access to these resources and prevent other nations from gaining an
advantage.
Territorial disputes: Geopolitical tensions may also arise when nations have territorial
disputes over land or sea areas. This can lead to military tensions as nations seek to
assert their claims and defend their territory.

Ideological conflicts: Geopolitical tensions may also arise due to ideological conflicts
between nations, such as differences in political systems, religious beliefs, or cultural
values. These differences can lead to military tensions as nations seek to promote their
values and defend against perceived threats.)

(Geopolitics is the study of how geography affects politics and international relations.
Within the field of geopolitics, analysts study actors—the individuals, organizations,
companies, and national governments that carry out political, economic, and financial
activities—and how they interact with one another. These relations matter for
investments because they contribute to important drivers of investment performance,
including economic growth, business performance, market volatility, and transaction
costs.

Geopolitical risk is the risk associated with tensions or actions between actors that
affect the normal and peaceful course of international relations. Geopolitical risk tends
to rise when the geographic and political factors underpinning country relations shift. A
shift could arise from a change in policy, a natural disaster, a terrorist act, a theft, or
war.)

https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/membership/professional-development/refresher-
readings/introduction-geopolitics

Geopolitics is the study of how politics and international relations are affected by
geography, it comprises of analyzing how the world’s actors – individuals, companies,
and governments maneuver political, financial, and economic activities, and their
interaction toward each other. Geopolitical risk includes tensions between nations that
triggers the normal and peaceful state of international relations (Kabra, 2023).
Geopolitical risks arise when there is a competition for resources between nations on
that results to military tensions, as the countries involved continue to seek for solutions
to aid their raw material scarcities. A scenario of a geopolitical risk is the issue over the
Western Philippine Sea, the outcome from years of territorial dispute on Spratly Islands
(Staff, 2019).

IV. Conclusion

- A clear link back to the question

- Summary of your main argument

- So what? Why should anyone care?

- A final sentence that states why your ideas are important to the wider subject area

Intro;

https://www.britannica.com/event/2022-Russian-invasion-of-Ukraine#ref354585

causes:

Capitalism - https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/projects/5712md823

https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/WPP.CHAP16.HTM

https://sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/raft-2022-0022#:~:text=Poor%20economic
%20conditions%20are%20the,particularly%20during%20periods%20of%20transition.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/war/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-war-definition-causes.html

https://mwi.usma.edu/the-five-reasons-wars-happen/

effects:

https://ceobs.org/how-does-war-damage-the-environment/

https://www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/war-in-cities

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015539118

https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/REO/AFR/2019/April/English/ch2.ashx

https://www.csis.org/analysis/longer-term-impact-ukraine-conflict-and-growing-
importance-civil-side-war

https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/winter-2020/effect-war-economic-growth

The 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff, in which Chinese patrol vessels prevented the
Philippine navy from detaining Chinese fishermen anchored on the atoll, sparked
tensions over competing claims despite diplomatic resolutions.

examples:

https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/02/19/505632/rise-in-sea-tensions-
expected-with-impending-military-drills/

https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-conflicts-watch-2023
Ray, M. (2023, March 24). Russia-Ukraine War | Casualties, Map, Causes, & Significance.

Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/2022-Russian-invasion-of-

Ukraine#ref354585

Krit, S. (2023). Capitalism and its Relationship to War and Conflicts. ScholarWorks.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/projects/5712md823

(Krit, 2023)

Mankoff, J., Hintz, L., Kassenova, N., & Vartanyan, O. (2022, April 12). The War in Ukraine:

Geopolitical Implications for Eurasia. Center for Strategic & International Studies. Retrieved

April 1, 2023, from https://www.csis.org/events/war-ukraine-geopolitical-implications-eurasia

(Mankoff et al., 2022)

Bizău, A. M., & Stănciulescu, R. (2022). Causes of Armed Conflict. Sciendo. Retrieved April 1, 2023,

from https://sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/raft-2022-0022#:~:text=Poor%20economic%20conditions

%20are%20the,particularly%20during%20periods%20of%20transition.

(Bizău & Stănciulescu, 2022)

Staff, D. (2019, April 22). Philippines vs. China: What You Need to Know about the Territory Dispute.

Duran and Duran-Schulze Law. https://www.duranschulze.com/philippines-vs-china-what-you-

need-to-know-about-the-territory-dispute/

(Staff, 2019)

Kabra, G. (2023). Introduction to Geopolitics. CFA Institute. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from

https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/membership/professional-development/refresher-readings/

introduction-geopolitics

(Kabra, 2023)

Geopolitical intentions can contribute to military tensions in several ways:

Competition for resources: Geopolitical tensions may arise when nations compete for resources such as

oil, gas, and minerals. This can lead to military tensions as nations seek to secure access to these

resources and prevent other nations from gaining an advantage.

Territorial disputes: Geopolitical tensions may also arise when nations have territorial disputes over land

or sea areas. This can lead to military tensions as nations seek to assert their claims and defend

their territory.

Ideological conflicts: Geopolitical tensions may also arise due to ideological conflicts between nations,

such as differences in political systems, religious beliefs, or cultural values. These differences

can lead to military tensions as nations seek to promote their values and defend against perceived

threats.

Arms race: Geopolitical tensions may also be fueled by an arms race, as nations seek to develop and

acquire advanced military technologies in order to gain a military advantage over other nations.

This can lead to a spiral of military tensions as nations seek to keep up with each other's military

capabilities.

In summary, geopolitical intentions can contribute to military tensions through competition for

resources, territorial disputes, ideological conflicts, and the arms race. Understanding these

factors is important in managing and resolving military tensions in a peaceful and constructive

manner.

Deshmukh, A. (2021, September 23). This Simple Chart Reveals the Distribution Of Global Wealth.

Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/distribution-of-global-wealth-chart/

(Deshmukh, 2021)