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# Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral and Philosophical Examination
The clash of arms has been a recurring feature of human history, shaping civilizations and leaving indelible marks on the global landscape. But amidst the chaos and carnage, a fundamental question persists: what distinguishes a just war from an unjust one? This isn't simply an academic exercise; understanding the moral parameters surrounding warfare is crucial for navigating international relations, evaluating historical conflicts, and forming informed opinions on contemporary geopolitical issues. This post delves into the complex philosophical and ethical considerations surrounding just and unjust wars, exploring various perspectives and providing a framework for critical analysis.
Defining Just War Theory: A Historical Perspective
The concept of a "just war" isn't a modern invention. Its roots lie in ancient philosophy and religious doctrine, evolving through centuries of theological and philosophical debate. Early formulations, often found in writings from thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas, emphasized the importance of just cause, proper authority, and right intention. These early justifications focused largely on the defense of the innocent and the rectification of wrongs. However, the 20th century, marked by unprecedented global conflicts, saw the expansion and refinement of just war theory, incorporating considerations of proportionality, last resort, and discrimination (distinguishing between combatants and civilians).
Key Criteria of a Just War:
Just Cause: The war must be initiated to address a grave injustice, such as self-defense against aggression, the rescue of oppressed populations, or the prevention of genocide. A mere desire for territorial expansion or economic gain doesn't constitute just cause.
Right Intention: The primary motivation for engaging in war must be to rectify the injustice and not driven by greed, revenge, or the pursuit of power. The intention should be to restore peace and justice, not to inflict suffering unnecessarily.
Proper Authority: The war must be declared and waged by a legitimate authority, typically a recognized state or an international body with the mandate to use force. Unlawful aggression by non-state actors or rogue states generally violates this criterion.
Last Resort: All peaceful means of resolving the conflict must be exhausted before resorting to war. Diplomacy, negotiation, and arbitration should be attempted before the use of force is considered.
Probability of Success: There should be a reasonable chance of achieving the war aims. A futile war that leads to excessive suffering without achieving its objectives is morally problematic.
Proportionality: The anticipated benefits of the war must outweigh the anticipated harms. The use of force must be proportionate to the threat and the anticipated results. Unnecessary destruction and suffering should be avoided.
Discrimination: Combatants must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Attacks targeting civilians are morally reprehensible and constitute war crimes.
Identifying Unjust Wars: Violations of Moral Principles
Unjust wars, conversely, are those that violate one or more of the principles outlined above. These conflicts are often characterized by aggression, violations of international law, and disregard for human life. The motivations behind unjust wars can range from territorial ambition and resource acquisition to ideological fanaticism and ethnic cleansing.
Characteristics of Unjust Wars:
Aggression: Launching an unprovoked attack on another state or people constitutes a clear violation of international law and morality.
Disregard for Civilian Life: Intentionally targeting civilians, employing inhumane weapons, or engaging in widespread atrocities demonstrates a complete disregard for human life.
Violation of International Law: Ignoring international treaties, agreements, and legal norms establishes a pattern of lawlessness that undermines global stability.
Lack of Proportionality: Engaging in disproportionate violence, using excessive force, or inflicting unnecessary suffering renders a war unjust.
Preemptive Strikes without Just Cause: Launching preemptive strikes without imminent threat violates the principle of last resort.
The Challenges of Applying Just War Theory in Practice
While just war theory provides a valuable framework for evaluating armed conflicts, its application in the real world is often fraught with challenges. Determining the "just cause" can be subjective and complex, particularly in situations involving internal conflicts, proxy wars, and asymmetrical warfare. Assessing the proportionality of force and the likelihood of success often requires making difficult judgments based on incomplete information. Furthermore, the evolving nature of warfare, with the advent of new technologies and strategies, necessitates ongoing re-evaluation and adaptation of just war principles.
Conclusion
The distinction between just and unjust wars remains a crucial ethical and philosophical debate. While just war theory offers a valuable framework for analyzing armed conflicts, its application requires careful consideration of multiple factors and a commitment to upholding fundamental moral principles. Recognizing the complexities involved allows for more informed discussions about the use of force, the prevention of conflict, and the pursuit of a more just and peaceful world.
FAQs
1. Can a defensive war ever be unjust? Yes, even a defensive war can be unjust if it violates principles such as proportionality or discrimination, for example, if excessive force is used or civilians are deliberately targeted.
2. What role does international law play in determining just and unjust wars? International law provides a framework for defining aggression and outlining the acceptable conduct of states during armed conflict. Violations of international law generally indicate an unjust war.
3. How can we reconcile the concept of just war with the realities of modern warfare? The complexities of modern warfare necessitate ongoing critical analysis and adaptation of just war principles. The increasing use of technology and the blurring lines between combatants and non-combatants necessitate careful consideration.
4. Is preemptive war ever justifiable? The justification of preemptive war is highly debated. While some argue it may be necessary in extreme cases of imminent threat, it must adhere strictly to the principle of last resort and demonstrate a clear and present danger.
5. What is the role of civilians in determining the justice of a war? Civilians play a vital role in holding their governments accountable for their actions. Public opinion, protests, and activism can exert significant pressure to promote just conduct and discourage unjust wars.
| just and unjust wars: Just and Unjust Wars Michael Walzer, 2015-08-11 “A classic in the field” (New York Times), this is a penetrating investigation into moral and ethical questions raised by war, drawing on examples from antiquity to the present. Just and Unjust Wars has forever changed how we think about the ethics of conflict. In this modern classic, political philosopher Michael Walzer examines the moral issues that arise before, during, and after the wars we fight. Reaching from the Athenian attack on Melos, to the Mai Lai massacre, to the war in Afghanistan and beyond, Walzer mines historical and contemporary accounts and the testimony of participants, decision makers, and victims to explain when war is justified and what ethical limitations apply to those who wage it. |
| just and unjust wars: Just And Unjust Wars Michael Walzer, 1977-12-19 This classic work examines the issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war from the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai massacre. |
| just and unjust wars: Just And Unjust Wars Michael Walzer, 2006-07-26 From the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai Massacre, from the wars in the Balkans through the first war in Iraq, Michael Walzer examines the moral issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war. He studies a variety of conflicts over the course of history, as well as the testimony of those who have been most directly involved--participants, decision makers, and victims. In his introduction to this new edition, Walzer specifically addresses the moral issues surrounding the war in and occupation of Iraq, reminding us once again that the argument about war and justice is still a political and moral necessity. |
| just and unjust wars: Arguing About War Michael Walzer, 2008-10-01 Michael Walzer is one of the world’s most eminent philosophers on the subject of war and ethics. Now, for the first time since his classic Just and Unjust Wars was published almost three decades ago, this volume brings together his most provocative arguments about contemporary military conflicts and the ethical issues they raise.The essays in the book are divided into three sections. The first deals with issues such as humanitarian intervention, emergency ethics, and terrorism. The second consists of Walzer’s responses to particular wars, including the first Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. And the third presents an essay in which Walzer imagines a future in which war might play a less significant part in our lives. In his introduction, Walzer reveals how his thinking has changed over time.Written during a period of intense debate over the proper use of armed force, this book gets to the heart of difficult problems and argues persuasively for a moral perspective on war. |
| just and unjust wars: The Dragons and the Snakes David Kilcullen, 2020-02-04 Just a few years ago, people spoke of the US as a hyperpower-a titan stalking the world stage with more relative power than any empire in history. Yet as early as 1993, newly-appointed CIA director James Woolsey pointed out that although Western powers had slain a large dragon by defeating the Soviet Union in the Cold War, they now faced a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes. In The Dragons and the Snakes, the eminent soldier-scholar David Kilcullen asks how, and what, opponents of the West have learned during the last quarter-century of conflict. Applying a combination of evolutionary theory and detailed field observation, he explains what happened to the snakes-non-state threats including terrorists and guerrillas-and the dragons-state-based competitors such as Russia and China. He explores how enemies learn under conditions of conflict, and examines how Western dominance over a very particular, narrowly-defined form of warfare since the Cold War has created a fitness landscape that forces adversaries to adapt in ways that present serious new challenges to America and its allies. Within the world's contemporary conflict zones, Kilcullen argues, state and non-state threats have increasingly come to resemble each other, with states adopting non-state techniques and non-state actors now able to access levels of precision and lethal weapon systems once only available to governments. A counterintuitive look at this new, vastly more complex environment, The Dragons and the Snakes will not only reshape our understanding of the West's enemies' capabilities, but will also show how we can respond given the increasing limits on US power. |
| just and unjust wars: Michael Walzer on War and Justice Brian Orend, 2000 This is a book about justice: the justice of a nation's major institutions and the justice of the interaction of nations on the world stage. Michael Walzer, one of North America's most prominent social critics, has written acclaimed works about the morali |
| just and unjust wars: Thick and Thin Michael Walzer, 2019-02-28 In Thick and Thin: Moral Argument at Home and Abroad, Michael Walzer revises and extends the arguments in his influential Spheres of Justice, framing his ideas about justice, social criticism, and national identity in light of the new political world that has arisen in the past three decades. Walzer focuses on two different but interrelated kinds of moral argument: maximalist and minimalist, thick and thin, local and universal. This new edition has a new preface and afterword, written by the author, describing how the reasoning of the book connects with arguments he made in Just and Unjust Wars about the morality of warfare. Walzer's highly literate and fascinating blend of philosophy and historical analysis will appeal not only to those interested in the polemics surrounding Spheres of Justice and Just and Unjust Wars but also to intelligent readers who are more concerned with getting the arguments right. |
| just and unjust wars: Walzer and War Graham Parsons, Mark A. Wilson, 2020-06-13 This book presents ten original essays that reassess the meaning, relevance, and legacy of Michael Walzer’s classic, Just and Unjust Wars. Written by leading figures in philosophy, theology, international politics and the military, the essays examine topics such as territorial rights, lessons from America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the practice of humanitarian intervention in light of experience, Walzer’s notorious discussion of supreme emergencies, revisionist criticisms of noncombatant immunity, gender and the rights of combatants, the peacebuilding critique of just war theory, and the responsibility of soldiers for unjust wars. Collectively, these essays advance the debate in this important field and demonstrate the continued relevance of Walzer’s work. |
| just and unjust wars: Justice is Steady Work Michael Walzer, Astrid von Busekist, 2020-09-25 Michael Walzer is one of the pre-eminent political theorists in the world today and also a prominent public intellectual. His conception of social justice and his work on just and unjust wars have been hugely influential in political theory and, at the same time, he has taken a public stand on many of the great issues of our time, from the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War to 9/11, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq War. He stands out among political theorists and philosophers by virtue of his attention to historical reality and his sensitivity to social and political context. Convinced that philosophical debate is only useful if it is rooted in the concrete practices and morality of societies, he develops a form of social critique that is opposed to a disembodied philosophy which does not respond to concerns of ordinary people. For Walzer, it is useless to try to write a theory of justice: the challenge is to think through issues of justice in relation to the particular contexts in which people live out their lives. The core strength of his work is his practical instinct: if individuals are contextualized, critique must be too. This book takes the form of an extended conversation between Walzer and Astrid von Busekist, ranging from Walzer’s biography and political activism to his work on war, justice and Judaism. Weaving together his theoretical work and his political activism, it provides an outstanding introduction to the life and work of one of the most influential political theorists of our time. |
| just and unjust wars: Killing in War Jeff McMahan, 2009-04-23 Killing a person is in general among the most seriously wrongful forms of action, yet most of us accept that it can be permissible to kill people on a large scale in war. Does morality become more permissive in a state of war? Jeff McMahan argues that conditions in war make no difference to what morality permits and the justifications for killing people are the same in war as they are in other contexts, such as individual self-defence. This view is radically at odds with the traditional theory of the just war and has implications that challenge common sense views. McMahan argues, for example, that it is wrong to fight in a war that is unjust because it lacks a just cause. |
| just and unjust wars: Is Just War Possible? Christopher Finlay, 2018-11-26 The idea that war is sometimes justified is deeply embedded in public consciousness. But it is only credible so long as we believe that the ethical standards of just war are in fact realizable in practice. In this engaging book, Christopher Finlay elucidates the assumptions underlying just war theory and defends them from a range of objections, arguing that it is a regrettable but necessary reflection of the moral realities of international politics. Using a range of historical and contemporary examples, he demonstrates the necessity of employing the theory on the basis of careful moral appraisal of real-life political landscapes and striking a balance between theoretical ideals and the practical realities of conflict. This book will be a crucial guide to the complexities of just war theory for all students and scholars of the ethics and political theory of war. |
| just and unjust wars: The Company Of Critics Michael Walzer, 2002-07-04 The Company of Critics provides a fascinating survey of the terrain of social criticism in the last century. Organizing the book as a series of eleven intellectual biographies, Michael Walzer tells not just the dramatic story of the cultural and political radical but also the more personal story of the meaning of criticism to the critic. By looking at the life and work of Julien Benda, Randolph Bourne, Martin Buber, Antonio Gramsci, Ignazio Silone, George Orwell, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Herbert Marcuse, Michel Foucault, and Breyten Breytenbach, Walzer explains the role of the public intellectual in the context of what he identifies as the triumphs and catastrophes of our time: the two world wars, the struggles of the working class, national liberation, feminism, totalitarian politics.The new edition, featuring a new preface, contains Walzer's thoughts on his own role as a public intellectual and, most important, the challenges that lie ahead for the engaged social critic. With its unique emphasis on life as a proving ground for thought, The Company of Critics is a necessary addition to the literature of social and political engagement both within and outside of the academy. |
| just and unjust wars: Walzer and War Graham Parsons, Mark A. Wilson, 2020-04-17 This book presents ten original essays that reassess the meaning, relevance, and legacy of Michael Walzer’s classic, Just and Unjust Wars. Written by leading figures in philosophy, theology, international politics and the military, the essays examine topics such as territorial rights, lessons from America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the practice of humanitarian intervention in light of experience, Walzer’s notorious discussion of supreme emergencies, revisionist criticisms of noncombatant immunity, gender and the rights of combatants, the peacebuilding critique of just war theory, and the responsibility of soldiers for unjust wars. Collectively, these essays advance the debate in this important field and demonstrate the continued relevance of Walzer’s work. |
| just and unjust wars: Exodus And Revolution Michael Walzer, 1986-10-09 A noted political philosopher offers a moving meditation on the political meanings of the biblical story of Exodus -- from oppression to deliverance and the promised land. |
| just and unjust wars: Just War Thinkers Daniel R. Brunstetter, Cian O’Driscoll, 2017-08-09 This volume offers a set of concise and accessible introductions to the seminal figures in the historical development of the just war tradition. In what, if any, circumstances are political communities justified in going to war? And what limits should apply to the conduct of any such war? The just war tradition is a body of thought that helps us think through these very questions. Its core ideas have been subject to fierce debate for over 2,000 years. Yet they continue to play a prominent role in how political and military leaders address the challenges posed by the use of force in international society. Until now there has been no text that offers concise and accessible introductions to the key figures associated with the tradition. Stepping into this breach, Just War Thinkers provides a set of clear but detailed essays by leading experts on nineteen seminal thinkers, from Cicero to Jeff McMahan. This volume challenges the reader to think about how traditions are constituted—who is included and excluded, and how that is determined—and how they serve to enable, constrain, and indeed channel subsequent thought, debate, and exchange. This book will be of much interest to students of just war tradition and theory, ethics and war, philosophy, security studies and IR. |
| just and unjust wars: “The” Politics of Jesus John Howard Yoder, 1987 |
| just and unjust wars: Just and Unjust Uses of Limited Force Daniel Brunstetter, 2021 'Just and Unjust Uses of Limited Force' revists recent conflicts animating contemporary just war scholarship as instances of limited force, drawing insights from the just war tradition. Looking at these contemporary examples, the book teases out an ethical account of force-short-of-war. |
| just and unjust wars: Kant and the End of War Howard Williams, 2012-01-06 The paperback edition (published in 2016) includes a new preface with a discussion of recent examples. Kant stands almost unchallenged as one of the major thinkers of the European Enlightenment. This book brings the ideas of his critical philosophy to bear on one of the leading political and legal questions of our age: under what circumstances, if any, is recourse to war legally and morally justifiable? This issue was strikingly brought to the fore by the 2003 war in Iraq. The book critiques the tradition of just war thinking and suggests how international law and international relations can be viewed from an alternative perspective that aims at a more pacific system of states. Instead of seeing the theory of just war as providing a stabilizing context within which international politics can be carried out, Williams argues that the theory contributes to the current unstable international condition. The just war tradition is not the silver lining in a generally dark horizon but rather an integral feature of the dark horizon of current world politics. Kant was one of the first and most profound thinkers to moot this understanding of just war reasoning and his work remains a crucial starting point for a critical theory of war today. |
| just and unjust wars: Morality and War David Fisher, 2011-03-03 With the ending of the strategic certainties of the Cold War, the need for moral clarity over when, where and how to start, conduct and conclude war has never been greater. There has been a recent revival of interest in the just war tradition. But can a medieval theory help us answer twenty-first century security concerns? David Fisher explores how just war thinking can and should be developed to provide such guidance. His in-depth study examines philosophical challenges to just war thinking, including those posed by moral scepticism and relativism. It explores the nature and grounds of moral reasoning; the relation between public and private morality; and how just war teaching needs to be refashioned to provide practical guidance not just to politicians and generals but to ordinary service people. The complexity and difficulty of moral decision-making requires a new ethical approach - here characterised as virtuous consequentialism - that recognises the importance of both the internal quality and external effects of agency; and of the moral principles and virtues needed to enact them. Having reinforced the key tenets of just war thinking, Fisher uses these to address contemporary security issues, including the changing nature of war, military pre-emption and torture, the morality of the Iraq war, and humanitarian intervention. He concludes that the just war tradition provides not only a robust but an indispensable guide to resolve the security challenges of the twenty-first century. |
| just and unjust wars: Reading Walzer Yitzhak Benbaji, Naomi Sussmann, 2013-10-30 Michael Walzer is one of the world’s leading philosophers and political theorists. In addition to his best-known books such as Spheres of Justice, and Just and Unjust Wars, he has contributed to contemporary political debates beyond academia in the New York Times, the New Yorker and Dissent. Reading Walzer is the first book to assess the full range of Walzer’s work. An outstanding team of international contributors consider the following topics in relation to Walzer’s work: the moral standing of nation states individual responsibility and laws governing the conduct of war debates over intervention and non-intervention human and minority rights moral and cultural pluralism equality justice Walzer’s radicalism and role as a critic. All chapters have been specially commissioned for this collection, and Walzer’s responses to his critics makes Reading Walzer essential reading for students of political philosophy and political theory. |
| just and unjust wars: Spheres Of Justice Michael Walzer, 2008-08-05 The distinguished political philosopher and author of the widely acclaimed Just and Unjust Wars analyzes how society distributes not just wealth and power but other social “goods” like honor, education, work, free time—even love. |
| just and unjust wars: Obligations Michael Walzer, 1970 In this collection of essays, Michael Walzer discusses how obligations are incurred, sustained, and (sometimes) abandoned by citizens of the modern state and members of political parties and movements as they respond to and participate in the most crucial and controversial aspects of citizenship: resistance, dissent, civil disobedience, war, and revolution. Walzer approaches these issues with insight and historical perspective, exhibiting an extraordinary understanding for rebels, radicals, and rational revolutionaries. The reader will not always agree with Walzer but he cannot help being stimulated, excited, challenged, and moved to thoughtful analysis. |
| just and unjust wars: Ethics and War Steven P. Lee, 2012 An account of war ethics sensitive to the historical just war theory, informed by the contemporary concerns of war. |
| just and unjust wars: America and the Just War Tradition Mark David Hall, J. Daryl Charles, 2019-03-30 America and the Just War Tradition examines and evaluates each of America’s major wars from a just war perspective. Using moral analysis that is anchored in the just war tradition, the contributors provide careful historical analysis evaluating individual conflicts. Each chapter explores the causes of a particular war, the degree to which the justice of the conflict was a subject of debate at the time, and the extent to which the war measured up to traditional ad bellum and in bello criteria. Where appropriate, contributors offer post bellum considerations, insofar as justice is concerned with helping to offer a better peace and end result than what had existed prior to the conflict. This fascinating exploration offers policy guidance for the use of force in the world today, and will be of keen interest to historians, political scientists, philosophers, and theologians, as well as policy makers and the general reading public. Contributors: J. Daryl Charles, Darrell Cole, Timothy J. Demy, Jonathan H. Ebel, Laura Jane Gifford, Mark David Hall, Jonathan Den Hartog, Daniel Walker Howe, Kerry E. Irish, James Turner Johnson, Gregory R. Jones, Mackubin Thomas Owens, John D. Roche, and Rouven Steeves |
| just and unjust wars: Just War Tradition and the Restraint of War James Turner Johnson, 2014-07-14 In this volume, a sequel to Ideology, Reason, and the Limitation of War, James Turner Johnson continues his reconstruction of the history of just war tradition by analyzing significant individual thinkers, concepts, and events that influenced its development from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. |
| just and unjust wars: Contingent Pacifism Larry May, 2015-08-27 The first major philosophical treatment of contingent pacifism, offering an account of pacifism from the just war tradition. |
| just and unjust wars: War by Agreement Yitzhak Benbaji, Daniel Statman, 2019 War by Agreement presents a new theory on the ethics of war. It shows that wars can be morally justified at both the ad bellum level (the political decision to go to war) and the in bello level (its actual conduct by the military)by accepting a contractarian account of the rules governing war. According to this account, the rules of war are anchored in a mutually beneficial and fair agreement between the relevant players - the purpose of which is to promote peace and to reduce the horrors of war. The book relies on the long social contract tradition and illustrates its fruitfulness in understanding and developing the morality and the law of war. |
| just and unjust wars: The Future of Just War Caron E. Gentry, Amy E. Eckert, 2014-01-01 Just War scholarship has adapted to contemporary crises and situations. But its adaptation has spurned debate and conversation—a method and means of pushing its thinking forward. Now the Just War tradition risks becoming marginalized. This concern may seem out of place as Just War literature is proliferating, yet this literature remains welded to traditional conceptualizations of Just War. Caron E. Gentry and Amy E. Eckert argue that the tradition needs to be updated to deal with substate actors within the realm of legitimate authority, private military companies, and the questionable moral difference between the use of conventional and nuclear weapons. Additionally, as recent policy makers and scholars have tried to make the Just War criteria legalistic, they have weakened the tradition's ability to draw from and adjust to its contemporaneous setting. The essays in The Future of Just War seek to reorient the tradition around its core concerns of preventing the unjust use of force by states and limiting the harm inflicted on vulnerable populations such as civilian noncombatants. The pursuit of these challenges involves both a reclaiming of traditional Just War principles from those who would push it toward greater permissiveness with respect to war, as well as the application of Just War principles to emerging issues, such as the growing use of robotics in war or the privatization of force. These essays share a commitment to the idea that the tradition is more about a rigorous application of Just War principles than the satisfaction of a checklist of criteria to be met before waging “just” war in the service of national interest. |
| just and unjust wars: The Just War Tradition David D. Corey, J. Daryl Charles, 2023-05-16 How can some politicians, pundits, and scholars cite the principles of just war to defend military actions—and others to condemn those same interventions? Just what is the just war tradition, and why is it important today?Authors David D. Corey and J. Daryl Charles answer those questions in this fascinating and invaluable book. The Just War Tradition: An Introduction reintroduces the wisdom we desperately need in our foreign policy debates. |
| just and unjust wars: The Morality of War - Second Edition Brian Orend, 2013-09-10 The first edition of The Morality of War was one of the most widely-read and successful books ever written on the topic. In this second edition, Brian Orend builds on the substantial strengths of the first, adding important new material on: cyber-warfare; drone attacks; the wrap-up of Iraq and Afghanistan; conflicts in Libya and Syria; and protracted struggles (like the Arab-Israeli conflict). Updated and streamlined throughout, the book offers new research tools and case studies, while keeping the winning blend of theory and history featured in the first edition. This book remains an engaging and comprehensive examination of the ethics, and practice, of war and peace in today’s world. |
| just and unjust wars: Just War Regan Richard J., Richard J. Regan, 1996 Most individuals realise that we have a moral obligation to avoid the evils of war. But this realization raises a host of difficult questions when we, as responsible individuals, witness harrowing injustices such as ethnic cleansing in Bosnia or starvation in Somalia. With millions of lives at stake, is war ever justified? And, if so, for what purpose? In this book, Richard J. Regan confronts these controversial questions by first considering the basic principles of just-war theory and then applying those principles to historical and ongoing conflicts. Part One presents two opposing viewpoints: first, that war is not subject to moral norms and, second, that war is never morally permissible. The author rejects both perspectives, and moves to define the principles of just-war theory. He evaluates the roles of the president, Congress and, most importantly, the UN Security Council in determining when long-term US military involvement is justified. The moral limits of war conduct and the moral problem of using, or threatening to use, nuclear weapons are also discussed. On the just cause to wage war, Regan argues that defense of nations and nationals - whether in self-defense or in defense of others - remains the only classical cause that in the modern world would justify resorting to war. With respect to military intervention in secessionist and revolutionary wars, he contends that such intervention might be justified, but that prudence dictates extreme caution. In considering acceptable war conduct, Regan elaborates the specific principle of discrimination and proportionality; he maintains that civilians uninvolved in the enemy's war should not be directly targeted and that the costs of military action must be proportionate to the anticipated benefits of destroying military targets. The second part of the book presents case studies of eight historical wars - World War I, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the revolution and civil war in Nicaragua, the civil war in El Salvador, the Gulf War, the intervention in Somalia, and the Bosnian War - and poses several provocative questions about each. It invites readers and students to apply just-war principles to complex war-related situations and to understand the factual contingencies involved in moral judgements about war decisions. The book should be of particular interest to students of the moral issues of international relations and to readers interested more generally in philosophy, theology and political science. |
| just and unjust wars: Just and Unjust Wars in Shakespeare Franziska Quabeck, 2013-03-22 The concept of the just war poses one of the most important ethical questions to date. Can war ever be justified and, if so, how? When is a cause of war proportional to its costs and who must be held responsible? The monograph Just and Unjust Wars in Shakespeare demonstrates that the necessary moral evaluation of these questions is not restricted to the philosophical moral and political discourse. This analysis of Shakespeare's plays, which focuses on the histories, tragedies and Roman plays in chronological order, brings to light that the drama includes an elaborate and complex debate of the ethical issues of warfare. The plays that feature in this analysis range from Henry VI to Coriolanus and they are analysed according to the three Aquinian principles of legitimate authority, just cause and right intention. Also extending the principles of analysis to more modern notions of responsibility, proportionality and the jus in bello-presupposition, this monograph shows that just war theory constitutes a dominant theoretical approach to war in the Shakespearean canon. |
| just and unjust wars: Shakespeare and the Second World War Irena Makaryk, Marissa McHugh, 2012-09-18 Shakespeare’s works occupy a prismatic and complex position in world culture: they straddle both the high and the low, the national and the foreign, literature and theatre. The Second World War presents a fascinating case study of this phenomenon: most, if not all, of its combatants have laid claim to Shakespeare and have called upon his work to convey their society’s self-image. In wartime, such claims frequently brought to the fore a crisis of cultural identity and of competing ownership of this ‘universal’ author. Despite this, the role of Shakespeare during the Second World War has not yet been examined or documented in any depth. Shakespeare and the Second World War provides the first sustained international, collaborative incursion into this terrain. The essays demonstrate how the wide variety of ways in which Shakespeare has been recycled, reviewed, and reinterpreted from 1939–1945 are both illuminated by and continue to illuminate the War today. |
| just and unjust wars: The Origins of the Second World War R. J. Overy, 2014-01-14 The Origins of the Second World War explores the reasons why the Second World War broke out in September 1939 and not sooner, and why a European war expanded into world war by 1941. Richard Overy argues that this was not just 'Hitler's War' but one that had its roots and origins in the decline of the old empires of Britain and France and the rise of ambitious new powers in Germany, Italy and Japan. Any explanation of the outbreak of hostilities must be multinational in scope taking into account the basic instability of the international system that had still not recovered from the shocks of the Great War. In this third edition: The role of Italy in the approach to war has been re-evaluated; Overy addresses recent revelations about Soviet policy in the 1930s, particularly exploring Soviet military planning and preparations; Arguments about Chamberlain and his policy of appeasement are rethought and reassessed. This new edition has now been completely overhauled, updated, expanded and reset. With a comprehensive documents section, colour plates, Guide to Who's Who, and a Chronology, The Origins of the Second World War will provide an invaluable introduction to any student of this fascinating period.--Page 4 of cover |
| just and unjust wars: The Needs of Others Kelly McFall, 2022-07-01 The Needs of Others is set at the UN in 1994, where diplomats learn of violence in Rwanda. Representing UN ambassadors, human rights organizations, journalists, and public opinion leaders, students wrestle with difficult questions based on an unsteady trickle of information: Should the UN peacekeeping mission be withdrawn or strengthened? Is the fighting in Rwanda a civil war or something else? Does the UN have an obligation to intervene? |
| just and unjust wars: Targeted Sanctions Thomas J. Biersteker, Sue E. Eckert, Marcos Tourinho, 2016-03-17 Systematically analyzes the impacts and the effectiveness of UN targeted sanctions over the past quarter century. |
| just and unjust wars: The Impact of 9/11 and the New Legal Landscape M. Morgan, 2009-08-31 The Impact of 9/11 and the New Legal Landscape is the third volume of the six-volume series The Day that Changed Everything? edited by Matthew J. Morgan. The series brings together from a broad spectrum of disciplines the leading thinkers of our time to reflect on one of the most significant events of our time. |
| just and unjust wars: Terrorism and the Ethics of War Stephen Nathanson, 2010-05-13 Most people strongly condemn terrorism; yet they often fail to say how terrorist acts differ from other acts of violence such as the killing of civilians in war. Stephen Nathanson argues that we cannot have morally credible views about terrorism if we focus on terrorism alone and neglect broader issues about the ethics of war. His book challenges influential views on the ethics of war, including the realist view that morality does not apply to war, and Michael Walzer's defence of attacks on civilians in 'supreme emergency' circumstances. It provides a clear definition of terrorism, an analysis of what makes terrorism morally wrong, and a rule-utilitarian defence of noncombatant immunity, as well as discussions of the Allied bombings of cities in World War II, collateral damage, and the clash between rights theories and utilitarianism. It will interest a wide range of readers in philosophy, political theory, international relations and law. |
| just and unjust wars: War and Political Theory Brian Orend, 2019-05-07 In a world that continues to be riven by armed conflict, the fundamental moral and political questions raised by warfare are as important as ever. Under what circumstances are we justified in going to war? Can conflicts be waged in a ‘moral’ way? Is war an inevitable feature of a world driven by power politics? What are the new ethical challenges raised by new weapons and technology, from drones to swarming attack robots? This book is an engaging and up-to-date examination of these questions and more, penned by a foremost expert in the field. Using many historical cases, it examines all the core disputes and doctrines, ranging from realism to pacifism, from just war theory and international law, to feminism and the democratic peace thesis. Its scope stretches from the primordial causes and perennial drivers of war to the cyber-centric space-age future of armed conflict in the 21st century. War and Political Theory is essential reading for anyone, whether advanced expert or undergraduate, who wants to understand the pressing empirical realities and theoretical issues, historical and contemporary, associated with armed conflict. |
| just and unjust wars: The Just War Paul Ramsey, 2002 With a new foreword by noted theologian and ethicist Stanley Hauerwas, this classic text on war and the ethics of modern statecraft written at the height of the Vietnam era in 1968 speaks to a new generation of readers. Characterized by a sophisticated yet back-to-basics approach, The Just War begins with the assumption that force is a fact in political life which must either be reckoned with or succumbed to. It then grapples with modern challenges to traditional moral principles of just conduct in war, the morality of deterrence, and a just war theory of statecraft. |
Just and Unjust Wars - Archive.org
JUST AND UNJUST WARS Fif th E d iti o n. JUST AND UNJUST WARS A MORAL ARGUMENT WITH HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS Fif th E d iti o n MICHAEL WALZER A MEMBER OF …
JUST AND - cuni.cz
wars declared in 1939 by Poland, France, and Britain to transform the Gennan state. Rather, these were paradigmatic just wars; their cause was resistance to anned aggression. And …
JUST AND UNJUST WARS - University of Pennsylvania
East. Wars undoubtedly have long political and moral pre-histories. But anticipation needs to be understood within a narrower frame. The Egyptians believed that the founding of Israel in 1948 …
Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 4, 5, and 6 (excerpts)
All aggressive acts have one thing in common: they justify forceful resistance, and force cannot be used between nations, as it often can between persons, without putting life itself at risk. …
Just and Unjust War, Chapter 4 - Olivia Lau
Michael Walzer Just and Unjust Wars. Part II: The Theory of Aggression; Chapter 4: Law and Order in International Society. In chapter 4 Walzer presents the legalist paradigm of the theory …
Just and Unjust Wars, Chapter 5 - Olivia Lau
Sep 26, 1999 · Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. Chapter 5: Anticipations. Supersummary: Walzer presents the conditions under which a defensive initial …
Just and Unjust Wars, Chapter 6 - Olivia Lau
Walzer gives the stylised example of inappropriate intervention as Vietnam where he claims the South Vietnam Government was too reliant on foreign assistance, and US intervention went …
Just and Unjust War - saynotowar.org
Political philosophers today argue about which wars, or which actions in wars, may be considered just or unjust. Beyond both viewpoints--the glorification of war and the weighing of good and …
How Just Were America’s Wars? A Survey of Experts Using a …
Though no conflict was deemed com-pletely just or unjust, the US war spectrum ranged from highly “just” to highly “unjust.”. The JWI approach offers a quantified and nuanced analysis of …
The Just War Framework1 - Philosophy, War and More
unjust wars.5 It also challenges the widespread belief that combatants fighting in unjust wars can be the moral equals of those fighting in a just war. When we think about conflicts between …
Reviewed work(s): Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument …
JUST AND UNJUST WARS: A MORAL ARGUMENT WITH HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS. By Michael Walzer.' New York: Basic Books, Inc. I977. Pp. xx, 361. $I5.00. Reviewed by Richard …
Just And Unjust Wars [PDF] - netsec.csuci.edu
This post delves into the complex philosophical and ethical considerations surrounding just and unjust wars, exploring various perspectives and providing a framework for critical analysis. …
Just and Unjust Wars: A Study of the Israeli Wars
In the Bible we find attempts to discern between just and unjust wars, and to define just principles in the war conduct. In Deuteronomy, Chapter 20, we find war
In Defense of Realism: A Commentary on Just and Unjust …
They are neither just nor unjust. Realism is considered to say the same of war. Just and Unjust Wars proceeds from the assumption, and conviction, that neither the resort to war nor the …
Michael Walzer - London School of Economics
Part 1 of Just and Unjust Wars focuses on the moral reality of war, arguing against realism. Walzer’s opposition to the Vietnam War quite naturally ruled out the adoption of a political …
The Sources and Status of Just War Principles - University of …
Different passages in Just and Unjust Wars are suggestive of different ways of understanding the sources and status of the principles that compose Walzer’s theory of the just war.
Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory - Army …
framework proposed by Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars (1977). Military professionals are well acquainted with the Just War terms of jus ad bellum (just cause for war) and jus in bello …
Just and Unjust Wars: Moral Responsibility and Conflict: A …
Just and Unjust Wars Moral Responsibility and Conflict: A Post- Vietnam Perspective by Lewis Sorley This is a book* one would like to praise. Stemming, the author tells us, from his …
America's 'Just Wars' in the 21st Century: Implications of Just …
In this paper, I examine the U.S. government’s use of just war theory to justify its past and current involvement in the Middle East. I utilize works that are critical to the just war doctrine, …
JUST AND UNJUST WARS - European University Institute
Just and Unjust Wars is now in its fifth edition, and each succeeding edition includes an “updating” preface discussing issues raised by the wars fought since the last edition.
Michael Walzer - London School of Economics
2 into neither camp – he is sui generis, a law unto himself, and yet more influential than all the other just war thinkers put …
THE JUST WAR DOCTRINE - NATO
Just and Unjust Wars : A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations - New York : Basic Books. xxviii, 361 p.; 21 cm. ISBN: 0465037070 Author(s): 1. Walzer, Michael Subject(s): 1. JUST WAR DOCTRINE 2. WAR--MORAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS Notes: Includes index. 'This classic …
Just Wars and Humanitarian Interventions - ResearchGate
In this paper I will examine a unified moral theory of just and unjust wars, a theory advanced first by Michael Walzer and …
In Defense of Realism: A Commentary on Just and Unjust Wars’ David C ...
A Commentary on Just and Unjust Wars’ David C. Hendrickson Just and Unjust Wars made its appearance in the wake of an …
Walzer Michael Just And Unjust Wars - obiemaps.oberlin.edu
of War Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 4, 5, and 6 (excerpts) Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 4, 5, and 6 (excerpts) Michael …
Wars Waged by the USA and by Canada: Just, Unjust and Everything Inbetween
Just, Unjust and Everything Inbetween Dr. Walter Dorn Professor of Defence Studies . Canadian Forces College . …
Just And Unjust Wars Pdf Full PDF - offsite.creighton.edu
Just And Unjust Wars Pdf This is likewise one of the factors by obtaining the soft documents of this Just And Unjust Wars …
Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory - Army War College
framework proposed by Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars (1977). Military professionals are well acquainted with the …
Just and Unjust Wars: A Diplomat's Perspective - JSTOR
was, by my standards, an unjust war. * The greatest dilemma that we must address when discussing just and unjust wars …
Just And Unjust Wars - 45.79.9.118
Just and Unjust Wars - Google Books Aug 11, 2015 · Just and Unjust Wars has forever changed how we think about the …
A challenge to the reigning theory of the just war - University of Oxford
unjust war or are fighting for an unjust cause is ‘the king’s business—a matter of state policy, not of individual …
The “Dangerous Concept of the Just War”: Decolonization, Wars of ...
anticolonial delegates who used the language of the just war to distinguish wars of national liberation from wars of …
The Incoherence of Walzer's Just War Theory - JSTOR
The Incoherence of Walzer's Just War Theory Michael Walzer closes his seminal book, Just and Unjust Wars,1 on a curious …
SYMPOSIUM: JUST WAR AND UNJUST SOLDIERS Just War and Unjust Soldiers ...
unjust wars. McMahan argues, for example, that traditional just war theory’s “assurance that unjust combatants do no …
Morality and War: Can War be Just in the Twenty-first Century?, - JSTOR
ments about what makes a war just (or unjust), it could be said, write about the last war and as many of the preceding ones …
The Prevention of Unjust Wars - Rutgers University
World War was neither a just war nor an unjust war; rather, it comprised both just and unjust wars. It encompassed both …
Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars
To Walzer Just Unjust Wars Exploring Different Genres Considering Fiction vs. Non-Fiction Determining Your …
Just and Lawful Conduct in War: Reflections on Michael Walzer - JSTOR
always justified in fighting, especially if the cause is unjust. Walzer next suggests that knowledge about the justice of the …
What's A Just War Theorist? - jtpcrim.org
exceptive answer—that wars are just if waged to avenge injustice or to coerce the ... war against them was "unjust." …
Preventing Unjust War: The Role of the Catholic Church - Villanova
Just and Unjust Wars.”5 McMahan’s 2014 essay “The Prevention of Unjust Wars” is my principal source. In my argument’s …
UNJUST WARS1 - University of Oxford
comprised both just and unjust wars. It encompassed both Britain’s war against Germany, which was a just war, and …
The Moral Reality of War: Defensive Force and Just War Theory
Just and Unjust Wars. is a near canonical statement of Just War Theory and its central tenets. As such, I will use his views to …
Just And Unjust Wars Full PDF - offsite.creighton.edu
Just And Unjust Wars Just and Unjust Wars Michael Walzer,2015-08-11 A classic in the field New York Times this …
Just & Unjust Targeted Killing & Drone Warfare - JSTOR
is the author of Just and Unjust Wars (1977), Spheres of Justice (1983), Thick and Thin: Moral Argument at Home and …
Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars
Walzer Just Unjust Wars Sep 8, 2023 · Within the captivating pages of Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars a …
“Just” Wars, “Unjust” Wars, and the Treatment of Noncombatants in Wartime
“Just” Wars, “Unjust” Wars, and the Treatment of Noncombatants in Wartime The Freehof Institute of …
Evaluating the Revisionist Critique of Just War Theory
of Just War Theory Seth Lazar Abstract: Modern analytical just war theory starts with Michael Walzer’s defense of key …
Die Renaissance der Lehre vom gerechten Krieg in der anglo ...
limitierende Funktion innehatte, weshalb auch vielfach terminologisch von der Just and Limited War Theory …
The Morality of War and the Law of War - Rutgers University
Feb 9, 2008 · theory found canonical expression in Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars, they had come to coincide …
Diplomatic History Diplomatic History, Just and Unjust Wars
study Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1977), pp. 263-268. Walzer concluded that the atomic …
6 Just Wars: Doctrines and Institutions - Springer
6 Just Wars: Doctrines and Institutions * Most people think of international organizations in general as parts of ... justified …
Fighting for Independence: What Can Just War Theory Learn from Civil ...
on international conflict.2 To take the classic case, Michael Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars makes little mention of civil …
Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars
Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars a literary masterpiece penned with a renowned author, readers set about a …
The Sources and Status of Just War Principles - University of Oxford
The rights of innocent people have the same moral effectiveness in the face of just as in the face of unjust …
George Mason University Department of Philosophy PHIL 694-002 Just War ...
Just and Unjust Wars. Chp. 1. The Just War Tradition—A Historical Perspective Week 3—September 13 Antiquity and …
Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory - Naval War College
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan This methodological technique, reminiscent of Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust …
Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars
Sep 13, 2023 · Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust Wars Jessica J Manson Lecture Introduction To Walzer Just Unjust …
Just War - A Response to Neu
consistently referred to certain wars as just wars. Just war theorists have thus always applied the term “just war” to …
Martin Luther on the doctrine of Just War - lcmside.org
May 3, 2016 · Jus Ad Bellum in Luther’s writings on Just and Unjust War The question of whether a particular war is just …
Why the 2003 Invasion of Iraq Was Unjust: An Application of Michael ...
2. Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations(New York: Basic Books, Member …
Thucydides and Just War: How to Begin to Read Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars
beachfront, Gabby Blum revealed to me the plan for a conference on Just and Unjust Wars. I was immensely …
Michael Walzer: Books - Institute for Advanced Study
2 16. On Toleration.Yale University Press, 1997. English edition in India by Frank Bros. & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. (Translations …
M A G A Z I N E Just Wars, Unjust Wars, and Everything In Between
wars on a scale. Instead of merely stating “This war is just,” or “That war is unjust,” I asked them to quantify the justness …
Environmental Just Wars: Jus ad Bellum and the Natural Environment
mately, the reasons for waging war to begin with (just/unjust, defensive/aggressive) are inseparable from the very license …
Origin of the twin terms jus ad bellum/jus in bello
The doctrine of just war The terms jus ad bellum and jus in bello did not exist in the Romanist and scholastic traditions. …
SUN TZU AWARD - United States Marine Corps
Book: Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. Author: Michael Walzer . 1. In as few words as …
Michael Walzer on Resorting to Force - JSTOR
tradition. Many of the rules developed by the just war tradition have since been codified into contemporary international …
Cicero’s Philosophy of Just War - PhilPapers
Just and Unjust Wars, his ground-breaking works of contemporary just war theory, first published in 1977. …
Just And Unjust Wars Chapter 3 Summary [PDF]
The chapter on Just and Unjust Wars presents a powerful framework for analyzing the moral dimensions of conflict. It …
Just Cause and Proportionality in Just War Thinking - Texas A&M University
in Just and Unjust Wars similarly includes the requirement that there is an ongoing unjust threat rather than a simple …
