Jus In Bello

Amnesty International’s Moral Confusion 

Ukraine’s actions have been broadly reflective of the desire to protect innocents and to stop the military aggressor that is killing innocents through indiscriminate strikes.

The Mad Pacifism of Doctor Who

The BBC should bring back the skepticism of pacifism that Doctor Who used to have.

Neither World War II nor Vietnam: 9/11 and the New Paradigms of War
Neither World War II nor Vietnam: 9/11 and the New Paradigms of War

In her 2003 book Just War Against Terror, Jean Bethke Elshtain argued for a new paradigm for a just war: the fight against global terrorism, particularly terrorism perpetrated by followers of militant Islam. Twenty years after 9/11, this claim is due for revisiting.

The Uses and Abuses of War Language in a Pandemic

Talking about a pandemic like it is an armed conflict obscures the clear distinctions between military and medical ethics, leading to faulty judgments and potentially creating additional moral and material harm.

Have American Wars Been Just? Review of Mark Hall and J. Daryl Charles’ America and the Just War Tradition
Have American Wars Been Just? Review of Mark Hall and J. Daryl Charles’ America and the Just War Tradition

Whether one is a historian who hopes to learn more about America’s conflicts, a philosopher who works in ethics or political philosophy, or a soldier or veteran who enjoys military history, America and the Just War Tradition addresses each of these topics and audiences from a variety of authors in a range of disciplines.

On Proportionality Trump’s Tweet is Wrong, but His Actions Are Right
On Proportionality Trump’s Tweet is Wrong, but His Actions Are Right

Is Donald Trump really supporting a disproportionate response against Iran? US military responses must be, and have been during the Trump administration, proportionate.

How America Fights Wars in a Unique Way: Review of Patterson’s Just American Wars
How America’s Wars Have Been (Mostly) Just: Review of Eric Patterson’s Just American Wars

Eric Patterson contends in Just American Wars that the US is unique because of how it considers ethical and moral dilemmas when it fights. Particularly, the country’s democratic institutions force any politician who wishes to engage in a war to explain to voters, civil society, and other parts of the government why the war must be fought.

Just War & National Honor: The Case of Vietnam
Just War & National Honor: The Case of Vietnam

Just war theorizing has typically left the issue of national honor untouched, although warriors and statesmen routinely emphasize the importance of vindicating the sacrifice of the fallen. Does prolonging a war in order to assuage or vindicate national honor comport with the just war tradition?

Revising or Applying the Just War Tradition? Review of Dubik’s Just War Reconsidered
Revising or Applying the Just War Tradition? Review of Dubik’s Just War Reconsidered

James M. Dubik’s argument in Just War Reconsidered is straightforward: current just war theorizing is insufficient insofar as it “omits a major part of the conduct of war.” A “new addition” to jus in bello theory is urgently needed.