Theory of War

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Theory of War
The Theory of War is an ideology of what is acceptable in the context of war which covers aspects of war including reasonable cause, treatment of prisoners, what kind of tactics are aloud, and so. All of these are split in to two different categories; with one being the right to go to war, and the conduct of war. Many influences of the Theory of War include many Christian ideals which can reflect religions impact on the world.
Some of the first known ideas that relate to the Theory of War date back to 400 BCE with the Mahabrarata, an Indian epic which doesn't directly establish war theory but lays down some of the principles of war theory in concern with how war should be conducted. In the epic there is a talk amongst a bunch of brothers who contemplate if war is ever justified. As discussion ensued they came to an agreement on certain things that would justify the start of a war an approved war tactics. Criteria that were agreed upon consisted of just cause, chariots only used on chariots, no poison arrows, fair treatment of the wounded, as well as no attacking civilians. With this gives us a sense of ethical conduct in war and responsibility to abided by those rules if we want others to follow them.
Saint Augustine and then much later Thomas Aquinas laid out their contribution to the Theory of War in the Christian perspective which can be found in the Just War Doctrine of the Catholic Church. Saint Augustine a Christian theologian believed that peace should be the first option and war being the last possible option if all other methods are ineffective. In addition to that he stated that if one needs to defend himself, by killing another it does not break the commandment thou shall not murder especially if comm...

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... the biggest reasons to label them as unjust is for the way some countries conducted themselves during the war involving the killing of innocent civilians or treatment of POW’s. But to look at a more positive aspect of how the Theory of War has been put into effect is the fact that there was a major decline in the use of chemical weapons after World War 1 as well as the campaign to get rid of nuclear weapons.

Works Cited

Souces
“Just war theory” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 09 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
“World War I” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
“World War 2” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
“Korean War” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

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