"just war"

[Jim Devine <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

I know this stuff is idealistic BS, but can someone tell me how it
fits in any way with the US war against Iraq or Israel's wars on Gaza
and Lebanon?

[from Wikipedia]
When is a war just by the criteria of Just War Theory? (Jus ad bellum)

In modern language, these rules hold that to be just, a war must meet
the following criteria before the use of force (Jus ad bellum):

   * Just Cause: Force may be used only to correct a grave public
evil (e.g. a massive violation of the basic rights of whole
populations) or in defense;

St Augustine categorised just cause into three elements which justified warfare

   ** defending against an external attack
   ** recapturing things taken
   ** punishing people who have done wrong

A contemporary view of just cause was expressed in 1993 when the US
Catholic Conference said: "Force may be used only to correct a grave,
public evil, i.e. aggression or massive violation of the basic human
rights of whole populations"

   * Comparative Justice: While there may be rights and wrongs on all
sides of a conflict, to override the presumption against the use of
force, the injustice suffered by one party must significantly outweigh
that suffered by the other;

   * Legitimate Authority: Only duly constituted public authorities
may use deadly force or wage war;

   * Right Intention: Force may be used only in a truly just cause
and solely for that purpose-correcting a suffered wrong is considered
a right intention, while material gain or maintaining economies is
not.

   * Probability of Success: Arms may not be used in a futile cause
or in a case where disproportionate measures are required to achieve
success;

   * Proportionality: The overall destruction expected from the use
of force must be outweighed by the good to be achieved.

   * Last Resort: Force may be used only after all peaceful and
viable alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted.

Note that these are only the most typical conditions cited by just war
theorists; some (such as Brian Orend) omit Comparative Justice, seeing
it as fertile ground for exploitation by bellicose regimes.

Conducting a Just War (Jus in bello)

Once war has begun, Just War theory also directs how combatants are to act:
(Jus in bello)

   * Just War conduct should be governed by the principle of
discrimination. The acts of war should be directed towards the
inflictors of the wrong, and not towards civilians caught in
circumstances they did not create. The prohibited acts include bombing
civilian residential areas that include no military target and
committing acts of terrorism or reprisal against ordinary civilians.
Some believe that this rule forbids weapons of mass destruction of any
kind, for any reason (such as the use of an atomic bomb).

   * Just War conduct should be governed by the principle of
proportionality. The force used must be proportional to the wrong
endured, and to the possible good that may come. The more
disproportional the number of collateral civilian deaths, the more
suspect will be the sincerity of a belligerent nation's claim to
justness of a war it initiated.

   * Just War conduct should be governed by the principle of minimum
force. This principle is meant to limit excessive and unnecessary
death and destruction. It is different from proportionality because
the amount of force proportionate to the goal of the mission might
exceed the amount of force necessary to accomplish that mission.

   * Torture, of combatants or non-combatants, is forbidden.

   * Prisoners of war must be treated respectfully.
--
Jim Devine / "You need a busload of faith to get by." -- Lou Reed.