In this section of the book, I will explore the motivation behind Western efforts to coerce others. John Keegan argued that war is always an expression of culture, often a determinant of cultural forms, and, in some societies, it can be the culture itself. My point of departure is that motivations to intervene are firmly embedded in Western political and strategic culture. In turn, both political and strategic cultures are rooted in Western civilization. Nevertheless, motivations for interventions have varied over time. During the middle ages, feudal wars were popular and princes and nobles waged wars for their own ends. During the 16th and 17th centuries, numerous religious wars were waged between Protestants and Catholics; during the 17th and 18th centuries, wars were waged to protect and strengthen dynasties. Although the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 gave birth to the modern state system, it was not until the French Revolution that the first wars among nations took place. The French emperor Napoleon waged the first modern wars to protect and expand the state. Modern liberal democracies use force not only to protect their interests, but for moral and ideological reasons as well. The latter reasons include democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law. These are the products of a development over centuries and of expressions of political culture.