title: Lebensraum: paradoxically, population growth may eventually end wars.
abstract: Population growth may progressively reduce 1 of the motives for making war.  Namely, population growth threatens shortages of resources, and especially land.  Impending shortages cause a search for ways to mitigate the shortages.  The discoveries eventually produce greater availability of resources than if population growth and pressure on resources had never occurred.  The argument runs as follows:  1) Rhetoric about resources scarcity induced by population density has often contributed to international conflict, even if economics has not been the main motive in making war.  2) In the pre-modern era, war to obtain land and other resources may sometimes have been an economically sound policy.  3) Politicians and others in industrially developed nations believe resources may still be a casus belli.  4) Land and other productive resources are no longer worth acquiring at the cost of war.
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001519:Behavior; D003142:Communication; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004777:Environment; D005376:Financial Management; D005843:Geography; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D007857:Leadership; D009042:Motivation; D011057:Politics; D011153:Population; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011158:Population Growth; D011584:Psychology; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Behavior; Communication; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Economic Conditions; Economic Factors; Environment; Financial Activities; Geographic Factors; Influentials; Knowledge Sources; Land Supply; Macroeconomic Factors; Motivation; Natural Resources; Political Factors; Population; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Population Growth; Psychological Factors; Resource Allocation; Spatial Distribution; War