War, what for?

Why do wars begin?

Trying to decipher exactly why wars begin is hard, if not impossible. To discover exactly the reason why some wars start would require the use of special powers such as being able to read minds. 

To the best of my knowledge, wars start out of selfish reasons. Whether it's a strong nation trying to get control over small nations and their land, or men who are power-hungry such as Napoleon or Hitler who try and conquer every country they can.

Are they always justified?

Wars are justified only in the eyes of those who start it. They convince themselves and attempt to convince others that they are going into war for the greater good, but, in fact, it is solely for their benefit. 

Is violence the answer to getting what you want?

No. Ideally, politically, there would be other ways to getting what you want such as communication, negotiation or bargaining. Examples of people getting what they want using harmless techniques are evident in everyday life. There are even a lot of examples of nations using harmless techniques to gain something on both sides. However, there are also many examples in which this was not the case and rulers, mainly those with power (who sometimes abuse it), resort to violence. The sad thing is, this technique is sometimes proven to be effective, which is why nations have often resulted to violence in history.