EXPOSITION The justification of war — both in terms of jus in bello and jus ad bellum — is a difficult and complex task. This difficulty is increased immensely when trying to apply just war principles to terrorism, a complicated mix of typical and unconventional tactics that can be performed by both established and state governments. In the essay, I will critically address the discussion of terrorism by Michael Walzer in chapter 12 of “Just and Unjust Wars” (1977) and advocate for the justification of revolutionary terrorism. Walzer’s judgment of terrorism oversimplifies and neglects important complexities that must be considered in the ethical analysis of terrorism.…
The Americans knew they had the weaker ground, since they were fighting on unfamiliar territory, let alone the fact that they were battling with standard, traditional warfare against a new, unknown style of warfare. Knowing this, and knowing that they were on the back foot, president Johnson still issued the orders to proceed with the war. This means that he and his generals were willingly subjecting their soldiers to combat on unfamiliar ground, against unfamiliar tactics. It was essentially subjecting them to their death. Even though, they still proceeded, which is unjust to the American soldiers. Knowing they cannot deny the orders, the Americans had to use un-conventional tactics of their own. Leading onto the third aspect of just war that I am discussing, the means of combat used. Since the Americans had the weaker strategies, they decided that it would be completely honorable, and morally acceptable to pillage homes of those who lived in peace and had nothing to do with the war. Then they proceeded to resort to rape, and other unethical means of…
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.…
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.…
A review of chapter 2, 'The Crime of War' in Michael Walzer's book, "Just and Unjust Wars: A moral argument with historical illustrations." Allen Lane 1997.…
The bush doctrine is more prevention than preemption. His speech was more about prevention. He made a statement that we must prevent terrorisms and regimes weapons from threatening the United States and the world. He claimed that we can’t sit back and wait for them to attack us again. We must not wait and give them the chance to take us down. We should make them fear us. He was determined to prevent another terrorist attack to the United States. Bush considers the 9/11 attack as a potential threat. It was capable of happening again. He wanted to eliminate a possible future threat. Based on his interpretations,…
Compared to the early 20th century, the wars of today are vastly different. The reasons for fighting, the styles of fighting, and who is fighting are all very different. However, in an age that is far removed from the past, a few things regarding war have remained the unchanged. One of the ideas that has remained unchanged in a time that is every changing, are the rules of war, as described by Michael Walzer in his book, Just and Unjust Wars. Naturally, in a time where so much has changed, there are starting to be a few objections to Walzer’s claims on the rules of war. Even though the wars of today are far different from those of the past, the moral equality of soldiers remains the same regardless if they are associated with being on an unjust…
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.…
An example for going into a war due to involvement by the country, is the French involvement in Vietnam. Due to colonizing Vietnam, the French didn’t want to lose said area; so they went to war. Second, is alliances. Alliances are a strategic reason to become involved in a war, because then when your country needs the help, alliances will have your back. Countries without alliances are at risk for attack or imperialism. The third reason of benefits for a country is a risky justification. Many Americans were dissatisfied with US involvement in the Frist Gulf War due to the hidden reason of wanting to obtain Kuwait’s special oil. However, benefits such as stopping terrorism by being involved in the War on Terror are more than enough. If lives will be saved in the long run by going to war, the war is just. Lastly, a just reason for going to war would be if injustices are happening. The only example needed more this rationale is the countless lives lost when Adolf Hitler decided that those not of his Aryan ideal could be wasted. War is not an end all to problems, but it is at times, the only…
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…
“The power to wage war is the power to wage war successfully” (Evans Hughes, Charles). In 1846 the United States and Mexico went to war against each other over disagreements mainly regarding the area of Texas. Mexico claimed the war was to protect its territorial integrity while the United States claimed the war was an act of self defense. In the Just War Theory actions and intentions of warring nations are upheld to a standard of justification. This Theory attempts to provide parameters of acceptable behavior when declaring and waging war. It also provides examples of offenses often committed in war. When examining the events leading up to the war, it becomes clear that the United States was acting in accordance with the principles put forth in the Just War Theory. The participation of the United States in the Mexican-American war was just because war was declared as a last resort, the war was fought on behalf of a just cause, and the war was declared by a legitimate authority.…
What justifies war? Who justifies it? Why as human beings do we feel the need to fight, harm, and kill others to achieve certain goals? These questions have been pertinent to our society since the beginning of time and continue to challenge us to better understand the human psyche, and code of ethics that give Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines credence to kill in the name of the United States of America. These ethics of war lay the foundation for that code of understanding and righteousness for when it is justifiable to pull the trigger and take the life of another, or commit an act of war.…
I believe two moral judgments can be made about the present "war": The September 11 attack constitutes a crime against humanity and cannot be justified, and the bombing of Afghanistan is also a crime, which cannot be justified.…
According to McGraw-Hill (p.717), the word “total war” is defined as “warfare, in which the opposing states mobilize their civilian populations and all available resources to achieve victory.” The British Defense or “Defence” of the Realm Act became law on August 8, 1914. This emergency legislation was enacted by the King and gave him power to issue regulations for securing defense and overall safety of public interests. This legislation was enacted to prevent the spread of false reports and to prevent any assistance being given to the enemy.…
When it comes to the use of force on one country, the United States has never really adopted a clear policy or guidelines. This has caused some tensions on when the use of force is actually warranted because it is up to the commander in chief to determine this. There are certain situations when the use of force will be warranted overseas. Additionally, there are pros and cons when it comes to not having an actual policy when it comes to using the full force of military occupation. Over the years we have seen Presidents use military force for a vast majority of reasons and each gave examples for their actions.…