The question of whether war can be justified is not in any way provided with neither a simple nor easy answer. As much as one would not like to admit it, it is nevertheless only in an idealised world, in a More’s utopia, that we can be certain that no war nor armed conflict will ever happen. In the meantime, wars continue to be fought and justified with reference to certain moral and legal values that may or may not make them legitimate in the context of the Westphalian State System upon which the current international society is based.In the following paper I will examine the question of whether war can be just through a case analysis of the conflict that took place between Russia and Georgia from the 7th – 16th of August 2008, also known as the Russo-Georgian War, the August War or simply the 2008 South Ossetia War
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Can War be Just?
- Structure
- Justifying War
- Jus ad Bellum criteria
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the question of whether war can be just by analyzing the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, also known as the August War. It aims to determine whether the actions of Russia and Georgia align with the principles of Just War theory.
- The theoretical foundations of the Just War tradition
- The historical origins, criteria, and implications of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello
- The application of Just War criteria to the Russo-Georgian War
- An analysis of the actions of Russia and Georgia in light of Just War principles
- The inherent challenges and limitations of applying Just War theory to real-world conflicts
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the paper's structure and provides a brief overview of the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. The second chapter dives into the theoretical foundations of the Just War tradition, examining its historical development and key criteria. The third chapter focuses on justifying war, exploring the various justifications for war throughout history and highlighting the inherent moral complexities of armed conflict.
The fourth chapter delves into the specific criteria of Jus ad Bellum, outlining the necessary conditions for a war to be considered just. The author will return to these criteria in the case analysis, which will examine whether Russia and Georgia met these criteria in the 2008 conflict.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary focus of this paper is on the Just War tradition, with specific emphasis on the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. Key concepts explored include: Jus ad Bellum, Jus in Bello, Just Cause, Right Authority, Last Resort, Proportionality, Probability of Success, sovereignty, international society, armed conflict, and moral justification of war.
- Quote paper
- Soren Andersen (Author), 2009, Can war be just?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/146961
