“War” is a song recorded and made popular by Bob Marley. It first appeared on Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1976 Island Records album, Rastaman Vibration, Marley’s only top 10 album in the USA. The lyrics are almost literally derived from a speech made by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I before the United Nations General Assembly in 1963 : His Majesty’s UN Address

Marley, along with fellow Rastafari, believe that Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as either the second reincarnation of God or a human prophet who was sent directly by God. They often refer to him as “Ras Tafari,” which was his birth name, “Jah,” or “The Lion of Judah,” which Marley does in many of his songs. To him, Selassie was not only one of the most prominent African leaders of his time, he was also identified as God returning to earth as “King of Kings, Lord of Lords,” imperial titles born both by Selassie I and Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II before him. Haile Selassie I gave the “War” speech on October 4, 1963, calling for world peace at the 1963 U.N. Conference in New York City. This historical speech was spoken a few weeks after the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was founded in Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa where Selassie chaired a summit meeting gathering almost every African head of state. For the first time in history, a head of state could therefore speak in the name of Africa with full legitimacy before the U.N. General Assembly. In the original speech, Selassie urged U.N. officials and country representatives to disarm nuclear weapons, and to end international exploitation (specifically with Africa).

This U.N. speech resounded even louder as Haile Selassie I had made a name for himself on the international scene in 1936, when he spoke at The League of Nations (L.O.N.) in Geneva. It was there that Selassie warned the world that if member state Ethiopia was not militarily supported by other member states to fight the fascist Italian invasion of his country then taking place, as the L.O.N. status guaranteed, the League of Nations would then cease to exist as a matter of fact. And according to him, without much needed L.O.N. tutelage (as dictators Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were about to join forces), the rest of the member states were to suffer the same fate as his country. Which they did, as Mussolini soon allied with Hitler, actually making Ethiopia the first country to be occupied in World War II, nearly two years before the Sino-Japanese war. This visionary speech granted Selassie much respect around the world, eventually leading to British military support, which helped freeing his country in 1941. Addressing the world again in 1963, Selassie’s words bore full weight.

Incidentally, Sinead O'Connor performed this song on Saturday Night Live, Oct. 3, 1992. She altered the lyrics to refer to child abuse rather than racism and performed a cappella. Upon reaching the end of the song, she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II and told the audience: “Fight the real enemy”.