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Arguments pro and against pacifism
The definition of war
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To what extent does the case for defensive war by states rest on analogy with the right of personal self-defense?
The essence of waging war has emerged over time. As war has become a tool used by others in gaining control over territories or showing a sort of strength. According to Orend (1999,) a just war should meet these criteria’s that include having a right intention, its proportionality has been weighed; its chances of a just cause being realised and if it is the last option remaining when all other alternative measures have been exercised and have failed to achieve the intended outcome. However, just war has its critics made by pacifists who believe that war is a morally wrong path taken in obtaining peace for it does not serves its purpose for protecting its people but rather harming them and it should not be considered but alternatives should be taken into account. Pacifists also believe that one should live according to the holy book which stipulates that one is to love his offender and not wage war against him (Anscombe, 1981). In this essay an effort will be made to discuss the relationship between defensive war by states and the individual right to self-defense. Secondly, how these defensive wars control the actions that states and individuals take when faced with an imminent attack. Thirdly, North Korea will be used as reference in addressing the right to defend one’s self when in danger. Then a conclusion will be presented.
War is defined by Dinstein (2001) as a defensive act when faced with an attack. A war can be waged on two accounts of either prevention or pre-emption and is a social authority of violence for the achievement of a political determination. Pre-emptive war is permissible and therefore defined as a ...
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...d peace: An introduction. Kent: Routledge. p. 105-109.
Gupta, S. (2008). The Doctrine of pre-emptive strike: Application and implications during the Administration of President George W. Bush. International Political Science Review. 29(2), p.181-196.
Lango, T.W. (2005). Preventitive wars, Just war principles and the Unkited Nations. The Journal of Ethics. 9(1/2),p.247-268.
Nagel, T. (1972). War and Massacre. Philosophy and public Affairs. 1(2), 123-144.
Orend, B. (1999). Kants’ Just war Theory. Journal of the history of Philosophy. 37(2),p.323
Rottman, G.L. (2002). Korea war order of Battle: United States, United Nations and Communist Grand, Naval and Air force, 1950-1953. Portmouth: Greenwood publishing Group. p. 157.
Tolstoy, L. (1901). Patriotism and Governments. The free age press. p. 4-7.
Toner, C. (2010). The Logical Structure of Just War Theory. p. 84-93.
War is the means to many ends. The ends of ruthless dictators, of land disputes, and lives – each play its part in the reasoning for war. War is controllable. It can be avoided; however, once it begins, the bat...
Jus ad bellum is defined as “justice of war” and is recognized as the ethics leading up to war (Orend 31). Orend contends that an...
...t do not have a utilitarian view and rather seek out the realism approach, then you have no regards for rules of war because you are the global power and can get away with it.
McDonald. “Just War Theory.” Humanities. Boston University. College of General Studies, Boston. 24 February 2014. Lecture.
Williams, Charles F. "War Powers: A New Chapter in a Continuing Debate." Social Education. April 2003: 128-133. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 May. 2014.
September 11th, 2001. An organization denoted as terrorists by the United States, Al-Qaeda, attacked the U.S on our own soil. In his “Letter to the American People”, the leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, takes a defensive stance regarding the attack, giving his justifications of why the attack on the U.S was warranted and acceptable in the terms of Just War Theory, citing examples of the Right to Self-Defense and reasons why he was justified in targeting American civilians. Just War Theory is comprised of ideas of values to determine when acts of aggression are morally justified or not, and it is primarily split into two categories, Jus Ad Bellum (Justice of War) and Jus In Bello (Justice in War) (Walzer 21). In this essay, I will be arguing against Bin Laden’s claims of the justification of Al-Qaeda’s attack, using the failure of Bin Laden’s attack to meet the requirements for a just war in terms of Jus Ad Bellum and Jus In Bello.
Pre-emptive force is commonly recognised as a preventative use of force. Michael Walzer identifies that pre-emptive force is when both states defend themselves against violence that is imminent but not actual; the state can fire shots if it knows it is about to be attacked (2006: 74). “ …there must be shown a necessity of self defence… instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation.” (Berkley, 1968). This would allow a state to respond to an attack once the targeted state had seen it coming but before it felt its impact. Pre-emption is then like a reflex “a throwing up of ones arms at the very last minute” (Walzer, 2006: 75). Putting aside the definitions of pre-emptive war, the question of whether or not it is justified has become a complex and contradictory matter for many states. The issues of abiding by international law, understanding the meaning of ‘imminent threat’ and morality all come into question. The biggest of problems is that states misjudge threat. The confusion and blurred definition of the term imminent threat leads to states acting out of uncertainty and aggression rather than justified move, which can constitute as pre-emptive war. Referring to realist and liberal theorists in conjunction with previous examples where states have pursued ‘pre-emptive’ force to legitimize their actions, a conclusion as to whether pre-emptive war can be justified can be reached. Pre-emptive war can be justified supporting a states internal responsibility to protect. Yet, due to states having previously exploited this use of force, justification can appear to be exceedingly controversial and unpopular. As Michael Waltz mentioned, pre-emptive war is either about ‘strategic or morals… one or the othe...
Many, including the Catholic Church, judge the justifications of a war based on several factors given in the “just war theory,” which is used to evaluate the war based on its causes and means. The first required factor is a just cause, meaning that a nation’s decision to begin a war must be due to “substantial aggression” brought about by the opposition which cannot be resolved through non-violent solutions without excessive cost whereas armed conflict is not hopeless or excessively costly (“Just War Theory”1). In most cases, wars are started for a reason; however, many of these reasons are for the benefit of the governments who start the wars. The just war theory is widely accepted as a way to determine the moral standing of the reasons. This part of the theory is to ensure that the objective of a war is a reasonable and moral one. It prevents the needless bloodshed and loss of human lives over petty disputes while still protecting the rights and lives of the innocent by acknowledging the necessity of war in dire situations.
The principles of Just War theory and different ethical frameworks have been used for many years to justify and reject plans for military interventions. These ideologies are useful tools for the leaders of governments and militaries to discuss and make decisions on the morality of different courses of action. If ISIS launched a series of terrorist attacks on American embassies as hypothesized, the given plan for military intervention would be morally justified due to several principles of Just War theory and various ethical frameworks. These include the ideas of jus ad bellum and jus post bellum from Just War theory and the ethical ideologies of utilitarianism and common good ethics.
Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. New York: Basic Books, 1977.
In The Coldest Winter, Halberstam outlines the destructive route to ‘victory’ the U.S. military and government officials took. With great attention to detail, Halberstam interrogates our misconceptions of General Douglas MacArthur and the events which took place on November 25th through the 26th of 1950. It was on that day, Halberstam writes, that China joined the Korean War with the purpose of annihilating U.S. forces. This event is critical to Halberstam, because MacArthur had explicitly expressed his disbelief in a Chinese intervention. To his dismay, over three-hundred thousand Chinese troops crossed the border in what would become known as ‘The Catastrophe on the Yalu.’
Carl von Clausewitz, “What is War?” On War. Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, 89-112. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976.
The just war theory is described by Thomas Massaro in his book Living Justice as the “principle that warfare might be justified under certain conditions” (108). The complexities involved with international relations makes determining a just war very difficult. Even though historically pacifism hasn’t gained much traction within Catholic circles, it currently is gaining popularity with many mainstream Catholics. With so many differing views on military action, one might ask, “What determines a just war? How can we balance the need for peace with self-defense?” An examination of criteria for a just war and critiques written on this topic might shed light on these two questions.
The use of military force is a valid customary international law norm and it is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Nevertheless, the use of force is only authorised if it falls under one of two categories: self-defence (article 41 of the United Nations Charter), or Security Council authorisation. To justify a resort to pre-emptive war, a state must give reasonable proof that the action is necessary to the vital national security interests of the state, and that the act of aggression in self-defence is proportional, according to Charter principles. The threat imposed by an aggressor must be proven to be clear and imminent, direct, critical to the state facing disproportionate danger, and unable to be handled using peaceful alternatives. According to the Charter, to deem self-defence lawful requires that an attack has already been launched against a victim state. Examples of states acting pre-emptively in anticipatory self-defence have further elaborated on this legality, creating in some instances an international acceptance that in the case of an imminent attack, the necessity of a proportional assault in self-defence is lawful. However, the issue remains that the Charter, in order to deem an action as lawful self-defence, requires the existence of an armed attack on the victim state. Interpretation on what constitutes an armed attack is what generates the most disagreement amongst the international law community. It is agreeable, however, that no state can be expected to sit idly by and await the first blow of an armed attack by an aggressor state in the modern era of warfare.
Chatfield, Charles, Bertrand Russell, and Ralph Barton Perry. The Ethics of War: Bertrand Russell and Ralph Barton Perry on World War I. New York: Garland Pub., 1972. Print.