War and Peace Flashcards
What is war defined as?
War is defined as armed hostilities between peoples.
Nation on nation: between different countries.
Civil war: between people of the same nation.
Guerilla warfare - between a small group and the state.
What are Christian beliefs about war?
Some Christians are totally against war, whatever the situation, and most Christians believe that war should be avoided where possible. However, there are examples of wars being fought in the name of religion and are called ‘holy wars’. For example, the Crusades 1096-1487 were supported by numerous popes.
When will Christians support war?
- There are some situations when a Christian will support war, especially if the result of not going to war will mean the situation would be far worse.
- Most Christians support a just war.
What conditions did St Augustine and Aquinas put forward?
- It must be waged by a legitimate authority.
- If there is a just cause.
- The war must have right intentions.
What does the Just War theory divide into?
- Jus Ad Bellum: the justice of resorting to war.
- Jus in Bello: Just conduct in war.
- Jus post bellum: Justice at the end of the war.
What are the criteria for Jus Ad Bellum?
- War must be in a just cause.
- The right intention for fighting the war is because it is in a just cause.
- The decision to go to war must be made with the proper authority and by a public declaration.
- The declaration of war ust be a last resort.
- A declaration of war can only be just if the state can forsee a probability of success in resolving the conflict through war. Violence without likely gain cannot be justified.
- The response of declaring war must be proportionate, i.e. the good that can be secured through war must outweigh the evil that will most likely occur. The end must justify the means.
What are the criterias for Jus In Bello?
- Weapons prohibited by international law must not be used.
- There is a distinction between combatants and non-combatants. Only combatants must be targeted. It is wrong to intend the deaths of non-combatants.
- Armed forces must use proportional force.
- Prisoners of war must be treated well, because once captured, they have ceased to be the threat to life and security.
- No weapons or means of war that are ‘evil in themselves’ are permitted.
- Armed forces are not justified in breaking these rules in response to the enemy in breaking these rules.
What are the criteria for Jus Post Bellum?
- The rights whose violation justified the war should be secured.
- Just as the declaration of war must be publicly made by the proper authority, so must the declaration of peace.
- Proportionality governs both jus ad bellum and jus in bello, and so it should govern the peace settlement as well. It should be reasonable, not a form of revenge, which will ikely fuel resentment and further aggression.
- The discrimination between combatants and non-combatants still applies when seeking punishment. Public international trials for war crimes should be conducted.
What is pacifism?
Absolute pacifism: the belief that it is never right to take part in war because one should never kill a human being.
Relative pacifism: war is wrong but there are some circumstances when it could be the lesser of two evils.
Selective/nuclear pacifism: Opposition to wars involving weapons of mass destruction because of the devasating consequences of such weapons and the fact that wars using such weapons are unwinnable.
What is religious pacifism?
- Christian ideas.
- Jesus’ example.
- ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.
- Quakers are a group of Christian pacifists.
- Use non-violent action instead.
What problems are there with pacifism?
- Pacifism might not allow self-defence.
- Live in a world where pacifism isn’t possible.
- State has to protect its citizens.
- Allows evil to dominate and flourish.
- Powerless against weapons of mass destruction.
What are the strengths of Just War theory?
- It aims to limit violence.
- It attempts to maintain justice by setting boundaries.
- Reminds Christians that they should support justice and preserve Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.
- It recognises the need to act out in support of people’s basic human rights.
- It makes us examine our conscience and motives for going to war.
What are the weaknesses?
- The JWT is ambiguous.
- Wars are caused by complex reasons.
- McMahan maintains that it is impossible to predict the outcome and hope that peace will be the result of a military action.
- It is difficult to stick to the ‘jus in bello’ laws as it is impossible to monitor the behaviour of each individual soldier.
- The existence and use of nuclear arms goes way beyond the conditions of warfare that were envisaged by Augustine.
- If you uphold the sanctity of life and that all acts of killing are forbidden, the JWT can never legitimise military action.
