A Military invasion is when armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter another country’s territory, with the intent of conquest, occupation, or re-establishment of control. It may be the cause of a war, or it can be used as part of a strategy to end a war. Invasions have historically been based on a range of motives: restoration of territory lost in the past; religious idealism; policies of national interest; pursuit of enemies; acquisition of transportation routes or natural resources, including oil and water; preemption of a future threat; quelling destabilizing or unconscionable conflict between neighbors; and punishment for a perceived slight.
Invasion by land often precedes or is used in conjunction with attacks on the target by other means. These may include air strikes, cruise missiles launched from ships at sea, or atomic bombing (which eliminated the need for ground assault in Japan after 1945). Some invasions may be completely avoided by using other means of attack; a U.S.-led coalition of allied nations invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003 without ever declaring a formal war on the country.
Once political boundaries and military lines have been breached, pacification of the occupied country is the final, and arguably most important, goal of the invading force. This can be accomplished through the use of media propaganda to discourage resistance, assassination of threatening figures, or even the direct physical extermination of those fighting the invaders (though this last tactic has proven highly controversial). When it is effective, it reduces the desire for citizens to join the resistance, and it also diminishes the effectiveness of civil and paramilitary militias.
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