Just War theory

Just War theory is an international law doctrine that postulates that a war can be just only if it satisfies a set of moral or legal rules. Although modern Just War theory is based upon an historically Christian doctrine, Francisco de Vitoria based his arguments solely on reason and so put the tradition on a more secular basis. http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.1998/pub_detail.asp

Related Topics:
International law - Doctrine - War - Christian - Francisco de Vitoria

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The rules classically cover the justification for the war (Jus ad Bellum) and the conduct of the participants in the war (Jus in Bello). Jus ad Bellum determines what conditions are necessary to allow the state to legitimately declare war, while Jus in Bello determines what actions are acceptable for combatants. In more recent years, a third category - Jus post Bellum - has been added, which governs the justice of war termination and peace agreements.

Related Topics:
Jus ad Bellum - Jus in Bello - Jus post Bellum

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Just War theory has ancient roots. The so-called Song of Deborah in the 5th chapter of the Hebrew Bible's Book of Judges discusses late Bronze Age conceptions of what distinguishes a "just" holy war. Cicero discussed this idea and its applications. Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and Hugo Grotius later codified a set of rules for a just war, which today still encompass the points commonly debated, with some modifications.

Related Topics:
Deborah - Hebrew Bible - Book of Judges - Bronze Age - Holy war - Cicero - Augustine of Hippo - Thomas Aquinas - Hugo Grotius

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