WAR - what is it good for !!

According to the jus ad bellum tradition established by Augustine and Aquinas, the third requirement for a just war is “rightful intention”, which is either “the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil”. Olen et al (2005, p. 305) ask, “How should we determine what a rightful intention is? By whose standards should we judge the advancement of ‘good’?”

 

For a just war these things should be considered

·                  The war must be for a just cause.

·                  The war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority.

·                  The intention behind the war must be good.

·                  All other ways of resolving the problem should have been tried first.

·                  There must be a reasonable chance of success.

·                  The means used must be in proportion to the end that the war seeks to achieve.

                           

One of the criteria for a just war is the intention behind the war must be good or  ‘rightful’ To determine rightful intention these things must be in place

·                  Creating, restoring or keeping a just peace

·                  Righting a wrong

·                  Assisting the innocent.

These can be seen as rightful intention, which according to St. Aquinas (Aquinas was a 13^th century priest and friar) is the advancement of good or the avoidance of evil.

 

It is also the responsibility of the governments and the people to ensure rightful intention is maintained.

Standards used to judge the advancement of good should be those used by all of mankind

In the current international system it is the responsibility of the United Nations (UN), and in particular the UN Security Council, to assess the causes of war and decide whether or not a particular war is legitimate or justified. In addition, individual states retain the sovereign right to self-defence: ‘Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations’.

Charter of the United Nations, Chapter 1, Article 51, located at http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/ 27/05/15

The UN Security Council was formed before the cold war, now it is evident that each country is more independent of each other and the differences in which each country might think is just or unjust s probably evident over the last 30 years with various civil wars, Afganhastan, Iraq and now the war on terrorism. In the end it is up to humanity to judge the advancement of good and avoid evil, the outcome of how well humanity will do will be no doubt judged by future generations.

346 words without references

318 without quote          

 

 

Luban, D 1980, 'Just War and Human Rights', Philosophy & Public Affairs, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 160-81.