Preview

Just War Theory

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
815 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Just War Theory
Just War Theory and a Thoughtful Realist One important theory within International Relations shows a moral aspect on how to conduct war. This theory is called Just War Theory. Just War Theory is a doctrine of military ethics from a philosophical and Catholic viewpoint. This theory consists of two parts: Jus ad bellum (the right to go to war) and Jus in bello (right conduct within war). Jus a bellum, the right to go to war, explicitly describes how a nation-state should conduct itself before preparing for war. There are seven sub-categories within Jus a bellum: Just Cause, Comparative Justice, Competent Authority, Right Intention, Profitability of Success, Last Resort, and Proportionality. Just Cause is explained as needing to have a reason to go to war. Not just for recapturing material possessions, but if lives are in danger. Comparative Justice is described, as the suffering and injustice on one side within a war must outweigh the suffering and injustice on the opposite side. Competent Authority must be in order within a war. Nation-states that start war must only start it if the authorities within the nation-state are focused on justice. Right Intention is defined as; force may be only used for a just cause correcting a suffered wrong. Gaining or maintaining economies by a nation-state is not considered just. Profitability of Success indicates that arms are not to be used where unbalanced measures are pertinent to be successful. The Last Resort category is presented as; force in war may only be used if peaceful alternatives have been completely depleted. The final category, Proportionality, is the foreseen benefits of starting war must be proportionate to its expected wrongs. Jus in bello, right conduct within war, shows how a nation-state should handle different situations within a war. There are five sub-categories within Jus in bello: Distinction, Proportionality, Military Necessity, Fair Treatment of Prisoners of War, and No Means malum in se (evil
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Outline the concepts of just war and pacifism
    • 1943 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Outline the concepts of just war and pacifism

    The Just war theory maintains that war may be justified if fought only in certain circumstances, and only if certain restrictions are applied to the way in which war is fought. The theory that was first propounded by St Augustine of Hippo and St Ambrose of Milan ( 4th and 5th centuries AD) attempts to clarify two fundamental questions: ‘when is it right to fight?’ and ‘How should war be fought?’. Whereas Pacifists are people mainly Christians who reject the use of violence and the deliberate killing of civilians but claims that peace is intrinsically good and ought to be upheld either as a duty and that war can never be justifiable. However, Realists agree that, due to the nature of humans, force is a necessary action to be used to maintain a just and ordered society. Therefore, since the Second World War, people have turned their attention to Just War again establishing rules that can serve as guidelines to a just war- the Hague and Geneva conventions.…

    • 1943 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Storm of Steel Paper
    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Storm of Steel Paper

    In order to answer this question it is first important to determine the fraises “pro-war” and “anti-war”. The term “pro-war” describes an attitude in which war is desired, necessary or justifiable. The term “anti-war” describes the opposite; war is viewed as immoral and is generally opposed and condemned. This paper will argue that there are grounds in the book to support both proposition.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Compatible Are Just War and Pacifism?
    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Compatible Are Just War and Pacifism?

    The Just War theory tries to judge whether it is ‘just’ to go to war and how the war should be fought. It tries to reconcile three things; taking a human life is seriously wrong. That states have a duty to defend their citizens and defend justice and thirdly protecting innocent human life and defending important moral values.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay: The Just War Theory
    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Argumentative Essay: The Just War Theory

    This article “Just War Tradition” also refer to as Just War Theory is related to war because it explains the principles and morals behind on taking war as a last resort solution only if the options don't meet the requirements. Also, in the case of war was to happen they discussed on when and where warfare is appropriate to be taken place. Including that, the Just War Tradition was originally discovered by the Christians and their based it on their philosophy. Then theorist Saint Augustine made who made other factions to their philosophy for a better outcome. As years passed another theorist named Michael Walzer stepped in but this time around modernize the principles. The government must apply two principles the first principle is Jus ad Bellum…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Just War Theory
    • 2504 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Just War Theory

    The just war theory started with the catholic church. The importance of the just war theory is connected to the Christian medieval theory which began from St. Augustine of Hippo.[5] The original three criteria made by St. Augustine are right intention, valid authority and peace must be the final goal. The…

    • 2504 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tim O'Brien on Injustice
    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tim O'Brien on Injustice

    The unclearness and uncertainty of war is something that penetrates deep into life and it is something that affects every facet of every day. Justice is the pursuit of right, the elevation of goodness, and the elimination of evil; however, such lucid definitions often lack substance when stood up to the tests of reality. Injustice is the denial of rights and the lack of morality for the embracement of barbarism. When looking for injustices in the world, what most readily comes to mind are violent crimes? Murder, theft, and rape are domestic injustices commonly recognized, but injustices, like reality, exist in perception. Therefore, to deem someone or something unjust, first agreement upon its definition must be established. When the United States declared her independence, we perceived the unjust indignities to be clear; however, to the militant king, the refusal to pay his taxes was injustice and the nullification of his law was the warrant for war. When such implied meanings come in to play, one has to determine what is just. In order to eliminate war, first all nations must outline the true meaning of “injustice” and find suitable solutions for reparation. The most diligent participant of war is the injustice done upon both sides, the backing of both by god, and the misconception that both will prevail due to their side being right and just. These differing views of injustice and justice are what cause the eventual degradation of war. (JRSOT) Tim O’Brien takes account of the injustices of war when he refers to opposing…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Just And Unjust War Analysis
    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Just And Unjust War Analysis

    In this chapter, Walzer discusses the cruelty of war and whether there can be any justification for such cruelty. He begins by distinguishing between the justice of war (jus ad bellum) and the justice in war (jus in bello). "War is always judged twice, first with reference to the reasons states have for fighting, secondly with reference to the means they adopt." (p.21).…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Pacifism vs Just War Theory
    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Pacifism vs Just War Theory

    Albert Einstein once said, “You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” Although Einstein is considered one of the greatest thinkers in history, he was surely not an ethicist. Regardless, his statement of pacifism, should not be taken lightly. In passages such as “Pacifism” by Douglas P Lackey pacifism and it many forms are defined and justified as valid moral theories . Initially pacifists such as Albert Schewerzer considered it wrong to kill and this was their central concept , over time the ideas by which pacifists are defined became more specific in some cases, while more broad in others. Famous visionaries such as Mahatma Ghandi and Leo Tolstoy have gone down in history for their peaceful and somewhat passive moral theories. In their theory these universal pacifists specified that it was immoral to take place in violence in cases of personal affairs or between nation-states. “Private pacifists” believe that personal violence is morally wrong but political violence is right in certain cases. These pacifists believe that it is sometimes permissible for nations to go to war. Finally the last type of pacifists think personal violence is sometimes wrong but war is always morally wrong , this type of pacifist is called an anti-war pacifist. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting “Pacifism” by Douglas P Lackey and the listed forms of pacifism with just war theory arguments addressed in passages such as Michael Walzer’s “Terrorism: A Critique of Excuses”.…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Just War Pacifism
    • 2476 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Just War Pacifism

    Human beings have been fighting with each other since prehistoric times, and people have been discussing the rights and wrongs of it. The Ethics of War begins by assuming that war is a bad thing, and should be avoided if possible, but there can be situations when war may be catastrophic. War is a bad thing because it involves deliberately killing or injuring people, and this is a fundamental wrong. The purpose of war ethics is to help decide what is right or wrong, both for individuals and countries, and to contribute to debates on public policy, and ultimately to government and individual action.…

    • 2476 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Just War Theory: The War In Iraq
    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Just War Theory: The War In Iraq

    Just cause: In my opinion, the United States had no right to go into Iraq based solely on a theory that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. According to the Just War Theory, war is permissible only to confront “a real and certain danger," to protect innocent life, to preserve conditions necessary for decent human existence and to secure basic human rights.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Just War Theory In Vietnam
    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Just War Theory In Vietnam

    The part of the just war theory is called jus ad bellum. There must be a just cause, right authority, proportionality, the goal of peace, with war as a last resort. A country cannot attack another country for more wealth or for more respect. They must attack on behalf of an innocent third country or group. Right authority means that war must be declared by the proper authorities and not by private companies. Proportionality means that the potential war must be assessed regarding the cost of the war and the benefits from the war. The country must also decide whether or not the potential gains outweigh the loss of human lives and the cost of the war. Next, “will the destructiveness of the proposed conflict outweigh any enhancement of other human values?” That means will the war any enhance aspects of the human life more than the violence that will occur during the war. The purpose of the war must be for peace, not solely to win glory. Finally, the war must be a last resort, meaning that all other methods for peace must be attempted before resorting to…

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Summary Of Jus Ad Bellum
    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Summary Of Jus Ad Bellum

    Using this framework, war can only be waged by a sovereign political actor, which the U.S. fulfills due to its position as a nation. The U.S. also fulfills the Right Intention tenet of Jus Ad Bellum since it is fighting a war to restore the peace due to the unpredictable nature of ISIS. Similarly, the fulfills the Just Cause tenet of Jus Ad Bellum since the war would be fought in self-defense and against a known threat to the international system (ISIS). Moreover, the US has tried to avoid direct war with ISIS, but this attack warrants retaliation, thus fulfilling the last resort tenet of Jus Ad Bellum, since war was a last resort. Since the United States can circumscribe the war to specific regions, the damages caused by the war will not outweigh the benefits brought by victory, fulfilling the proportionality tenet of Jus Ad Bellum. Similarly, since the U.S. knows it can defeat ISIS and suppress Assad and thus establish a lasting peace in Syria it fulfills the tenet of creating a lasting peace through the…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Just War Theory
    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Just War Theory

    When is war acceptable? That is the question that the Just War theory (jus bellum iustum) attempts to answer. Guided by an evolving set of criteria, this tradition attempts to provide a framework by which the both the reasons for a war and the combatants' behavior may be judged to be ethical and morally justifiable. This theory or doctrine, has roots in both philosophical and historical contexts, having been shaped by conventions and rules observed through ages of war as well as the thoughts of philosophers of those same ages. These principles are divided into two parts: 'the right to go to war' (jus ad bellum), which concerns itself with whether it is justifiable…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Just War Essay
    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Just War Essay

    Many extreme pacifists reject the concept of just war and all justifications for violence. I actually disagree with the extreme pacifist that rejects the concept of just war and all justifications for violence. I feel that sometime war is something that just has to be done in order for people to solve curtain conflicts. St. Augustine is the known as the first one actually noted to be the founder of the theory of just war. A Just war is a theory that deals with the reason on why and how curtain wars are fought. The concept on a just war can be justified by concept of just war or the historical origin of just war reasoning. The just war aspect is about the ethical reasons on why they war is justified, and if that was last step that could have been…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theories on War
    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theories on War

    Negativity comes to mind on the issue of war as it is heard to be brutal or fatal, especially on innocent people and one cannot help but to hope for an outcome of peace or prosperity. Some respectful philosophers such as Mo Tzu, Sun Tzu, Eugene Delacroix, Pablo Picasso, Margaret Mead, Kenzaburo Oe, and Jean Bethke Elshtain can be found writing about their theories on war and peace in the text book, Reading the World: Ideas that Matter by Michael Austin. Over the years the issue of war has not disappeared nor has it ceased from carrying on lethal acts.…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics