What defines a “just” war? Can a “just” war be globally defined in our modern world? Give an example of a just war and tell what it is about the aims of the war or the means in which it was fought that made it “just.”
*takes shelter*
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After America by John Birmingham
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![Let’s Kill Hitler [HD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hESmStH-L._SL160_.jpg)
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I’ll start.
A just war is one in which one side enters the conflict from a moral high ground. What this statement does in effect is take away the global definition of “just.” What is moral for one side may find its antithesis in morality on the other. The question then becomes one of absolutely right and wrong. Are there indeed absolutes? If so, what are they?
An example of a just war from the American perspective would be the campaign against Nazi Germany in World War II. In this situation, we had reliable intelligence that indicated that they were practicing genocide. Facism itself was a direct challenge to our form of government and our way of life. Eisenhower was quoted as saying that Germany was a “cancer on Europe” for their manifold human rights violations and wanton expansionist tendencies.
I’ll take it a step further and say that any spread of capitalist democracy, with the necessary support to see it succeed, could be construed as “just” to me. Recent history has shown that this is one of the few systems (constitutional monarchy being the other) that can sustain high levels of individual freedom and a free market. Other systems pose a direct threat to our way of life and should be carefully considered on a case by case basis for economic and political reform; the unspoken idea here is that if these reforms are not forthcoming, we have the backing of our military might to ensure that they come about.