| Origins of the War of 1812 |
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In politics, the terms war hawk and hawk are used to describe a person who favours starting armed conflicts or escalating ongoing ones instead of attempting to solve problems through dialogue or other nonviolent methods. Hawkish individuals are the opposite of war doves, who advocate negotiations and peaceful settlements to resolve disputes and view the option of going to war as one to be avoided by any means unless its absolutely necessary. The terms are derived by historical analogy with the birds of the same name: hawks are predatory birds that attack and eat other animals, whereas doves eat seeds and fruit and represent a symbol of peace.
Some variations of the term include: chicken hawk, referring to a person who supports waging war but previously avoided or is actively avoiding military service (i.e., cowardice); and liberal hawk, referring to a person who adheres to passive liberalism in domestic politics while simultaneously having a militaristic and interventionist foreign policy.