Explorations on Just War: Has It Ever Existed?
Abstract
In this thesis, the author presents examples of non-adherence to Just War Doctrine and challenges whether the theory ought to be adhered to at all. His research is based on nation-to-nation and nation-to-international actor wars and addresses all three tenets of the Just War Doctrine: Jus in bello, Jus ad bellum, and Jus pos bello. These writings suggest that since Just War Theory has not been adhered to in its entirety within the last 100 years, standing by the theory may, in itself, be irrelevant. This theory was created to make addressing, committing to, and ending war the gravest of all man's acts, so severe in nature that there was no room for error. However, during the author's research on this thesis, a war that was fought justly according to tradition was not found. Because Just War Doctrine decrees that for a war to exist justly all tenets must be followed, the thesis provides considerable evidence that for the last 100 years Just War Doctrine has not been adhered to. With the changing dimensions of warfare by terrorists, state and rogue actors, and increased interconnectedness through globalization, Just War may never be as relevant as it was in the early years of its existence.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA451301
Entities
People
- Jamison D. Braun
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School