Jus post Bellum Flashcards
What did Niebuhr claim was the primary cause of WWII?
The unjust treaty of Versailles following WWI
What did the allies do to prevent history from repeating itself following WWII?
They carefully and expensively rebuilt Japan and Germany
How did the US and UK fail to carry out jus post bellum in Iraq and Afghanistan?
The brutal behaviour of some troops, corruption of new leaders and a sense of grievance led to a terrorist insurgency much more bloody than the original war
Explain the concept of proportionality
The settlement at the end of the war must not be unreasonably harsh or based on revenge
Explain the concept of equal punishment
War crimes should be dealt with by both sides. The winning side cannot simply forgive its own soldiers for any atrocities or abuses
Explain the concept of compensation
The guilty side should compensate its victims by paying to repair damage
Explain the concept of discrimination
Punishments should fall on leaders first, soldiers second and civilians last. Innocents caught up in the war should not be made to suffer. You should not strip a country of its wealth as this will more than likely just lead to resentful
Explain the concept of rehabilitation
The defeated country may need to be rebuilt and its leaders restrained. Especially if the institutions helped start the war in the first place
Why was rehabilitation successful after WWII
Peaceful democratic societies were created in Germany and Japan that rejected the aggression they had previously admired
Why is jus post bellum often unpopular with the public on the winning side?
Because they often lost loved ones and may feel justified if they didn’t start the war. They often feel the losing side should be humiliated and punished
Why is jus post bellum often unpopular with the losing side too?
Because they may resent or misunderstand their opponents justice. It could take them years to recognise that what was done was done fairly
Why is rehabilitation often controversial?
Sometimes the losing country resents it and sees it as having an alien culture imposed upon it
