Just War theory

Good conduct and key moral principle

Background of Just War theory

Developed Augustine, refined by Thomas Aquinas

* At the beginning Christianity was pacifist
* Later, when under Roman Empire, Christian leaders felt that in certain situations violence was necessary

Parts of the Just War theory

1. Ius ad bellum:  conditions under which it would be legitimate to go to war
2. Ius in bello:  rules under which a war must be fought once it was begun.

Ius ad Bellum

1. There has to be a just cause
2. War can only be declared by a legitimate authority
3. War must be fought with the right intention.
4. There has to be a reasonable probability of success
5. War must be the last resort
6. There must be proportionality – the benefits expected from waging war must be proportionate to the expected harm caused

Ius in Bello

1. There has to be a principle of discrimination = non-combatants must not be directly attacked.
2. Proportionality of means to ends = the means used to fight the war must be proportionate to the ends required.

Application of Just War Theory

Weapons of mass destruction:

* Nuclear , Chemical , Biological weapons

All such weapons appear to lie outside the boundaries drawn by Just War theory.

* Indsicriminate (targets all), proportionality (damage can never be justified)
* Porbability of succuss = deistating destruction, use of nukes makes land useless.

Nuclear weapons

Cannot be applies, nukes intrinsically evil.

* Nuclear weapons cannot be uninvented, unrealistic to demand giving them up
* Are a useful deterrent to protect country
* Atrocities of an invasion could be worse
* Conventional weapons could take their place and be developed