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xxii INTRODUCTION such as China and Russia, had little say in the original construction of many of the current international institutions for which they are expected to be compliant. The idea of requiring countries to comply with the edicts of international insti- tutions, for which they had little to no influence in forming, may be a cause for conflict, as it pertains to the preferences of a sovereign and the decisions that it makes for its people. For instance, China appears to ignore established treaties and international law with its aggressive acts in the South China Sea. China is placing its national interests ahead of what is provided in international law. Similarly, Rus- sia is supporting despots in both Syria and Venezuela, and perhaps Iran and North Korea, where international law is continuing to explore human rights violations those governments are committing. More specifically, if Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who is receiving support from both Russia and Iran, is ultimately charged with war crimes and humanitarian offenses, will Russia ignore its responsibili- ties as an international power? Both Russia and China are members of the United Nations Security Council, the international entity that often makes the decision to exact sanctions on a country for violations of international law. Until international law is consistently considered legitimate and just by regional and global powers, such as Russia and China, countries will continue to pick and choose those laws that are of benefit to them and to ignore the rest. Conclusion War and conflict are a reality, and it is important that citizens have an informed view about why countries behave in the way they do. If one were to reflect on history, as stated before, war and conflict would clearly be the rule, whereas peace would be viewed as the exception. It is also important to understand the role of the international community and why the global community acts in some cir- cumstances and not in others. Creating policy within international institutions is one thing, but executing such policies—policies that are executed by people from countries—is quite another. National leaders who choose to execute international policy understand just how sacred countries view their sovereignty and how an intrusion could set precedence that could shape the future for all. The topics that have been chosen for this work are all significant in their contribution in gaining an appreciation of modern-day war and conflict. This work is not intended to make experts out of readers, but it certainly is intended to inform them so that their interest will be primed for future scholarship and inquiry. Further Reading Carafano, James Jay. 2007. “Thinking Differently about Winning the Peace.” Heritage Lec- tures, No. 987. Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation, 1–4. The Economist. 2018. “A Farewell to Arms Control: Old Dals to Limit Nuclear Weapons Fraying. They May Not Be Repaired.” May 5. Accessed August 2, 2019. https://​­ ­Are www​.­economist​.­com​/­briefing​/­2018​/­05​/­05​/­old​-­deals​-­to​-­limit​-­nuclear​-­weapons ​ -­are​-­fraying​-­they​-­may​-­not​-­be​-­repaired.