Who made this theory?
St Thomas Aquinas
What is this theory?
A war should only be fought for a cause that is morally justified
What are the conditions of just war?
Last resort - War must be the last resort
Legitimate authority - War must be lawfully declared by a government with the authority to declare war
Just cause - There must be a just cause and proper intention for the war
Reasonable success - There must be a reasonable chance of success
What must just war be?
Good outweighs evil - The good gained by winning the war must be greater than the evil caused by fighting it
Proportionality - there must be proportionality, only ‘appropriate force’ should be used.
Innocent shouldn’t be killed
Peace restored at the end
Jus ad bellum
the body of law which provides grounds justifying the transition from peace to armed force
jus in bello
the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations and individuals engaged in armed conflict in relation to each other