Just War

1
Just War

• When is war the answer?

2
Questions to ponder

• When should a country go to war? Describe three
  instances.
• Which of the above instances are YOU willing to
  fight for? Die for? Justify your answer.

3
Just War Theory

• A moral defense of war.
• Developed by Christians in the 5th century to
  balance the beliefs of Christianity with the need
  to go to war.
• A system to justify the use of force.
• Principles include Just cause, competent
  authority, right intention, last resort,
  probability of success, proportionality

4
Just Cause

• War is permissible only to confront a real and
  certain danger.

• Example
• Country A is invaded by Country B, Country A must
  go to war.
• Non-Example
• Country B invades Country A because Country As
  leader might attack them sometime in the future.

5
Competent Authority

• War must be declared by those with responsibility
  for public order.

• Example
• The President of Country A declares war on
  Country B.
• Non-Example
• The newspapers in Country A declare war on
  Country B. After the fighting has started, the
  President declares war.

6
Right Intention

• Motives for responding to the cause must be just,
  they must be in line with the Just Cause.

• Example
• Country C enters the war because Country B is a
  friend and the invasion by Country A is a
  violation of international law
• Non-Example
• Country C enters the war because Country B
  offered money.

7
Last Resort

• All peaceful alternatives must have been
  exhausted.

• Example
• Country A attempted to settle differences with
  Country B, but Country B refuse to negotiate.
• Non-Example
• Country A invaded without attempting to work out
  problems with Country B.

8
Probability of Success

• Must have reasonable grounds for believing that
  cause can be achieved.

• Example
• Before Country C decides to get involved in the
  war, it measures its military power with
  potential enemies.
• Non-Example
• Country C brings a knife to a gun fight.

9
Proportionality

• Must be confident that resorting to war will do
  more good than harm.

• Example
• Country C enters the war, helps Country A and is
  able to restore peace to the world.
• Non-Example
• Country B wins the war, but suffers so many costs
  and human losses, that it takes 50 years to
  recover.

10
Just War Scenarios

• You will now be broken into groups to analyze
  past and potential conflicts.
• You must read the summary of the conflict, then
  determine if a war can be justified by the
  criteria outline in the Just War notes.

11
Just War Scenarios

• Past Conflicts
• NATO Intervention in Kosovo in 1999
• The Persian Gulf War
• Current/Future Conflicts
• U.S. War on Terrorism (current)
• India/Pakistan War (future?)
• Iraq/U.S. War (future?)