reasons for war

• Reasons for war may include

  • greed
  • self-defence
  • retaliation
• Reasons for war - greed

  • a country may have a resource that another country desires
  • e.g. Gulf war - believed to have been fought for oil and profit
• Reasons for war - self-defence

  • can be pre-emptive - where one country expects an attack from another and so attacks first
  • a country may need to defend itself against an attack from another country
• Reasons for war - revenge

  • not necessarily fueled by a country, can be an action carried out towards an individual or a group of individuals
• Jus in bello - right to conduct in war
• Jus ad bellum - right to go to war
• Jus post bellum - right conduct after war - potential third category for just war theory
• Conditions for war - SLAMPA

  • will it be successful
  • is it the last resort
  • does it have the right aim
  • right military involved
  • is it proportional
  • has it been declared by a legitimate authority
• The central idea in a Just War theory is that war is terrible, but in some situations it might be the best or only option.