Sunday, September 9, 2012

[INTER 2103] Your humus is worth dying for

According to Just War Theory, a resort to war is justified just in case the following requirements are met:
  1. Just Cause. A state may launch a war only for the right reason.
  2. Right Intention. A state must intend to fight the war only for the sake of its just cause.
  3. Proper Authority and Public Declaration. A state may launch a war only if the decision has been made by the proper authorities and made public.
  4. Last Resort. A state may resort to war only if it exhausted all peaceful alternatives to resolving the conflict.
  5. Probability of Success. A state may not launch a war if it can foresee that doing so will have no measurable impact on the conflict.
  6. Proportionality. Prior to going to war, a state must weigh the expected universal goods (e.g., securing the just cause) against the expected universal evils (e.g., casualties).
Now, suppose that state S is about to wage war and all the aforementioned requirements are fulfilled. Do they also justify the decision to send troops into battle?


Or is the decision to send troops into battle a separate decision that requires additional justification? If so, what could justify that decision?

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