Just War Tradition

Last week marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The Japanese intended to make the American cost of taking the island so severe they would reconsider invading the Japanese home islands. On this point, the Japanese condemned themselves by their very success. The shadow of Iwo Jima is arguably a mushroom cloud.

Realism and the just war ethic both pursue war in certain contexts, so they can appear to be close cousins. But the just war ethic shares less with realism than realism shares with pacifism.

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.

How should Christians respond to the killing of someone so monstrous that their death seems to be a net gain for the world, a victory for the goods of justice, order, and peace?

Like many, my reaction to the killing of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has been an admixture of satisfaction and apprehension.

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

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.

American thinkers initiated the recovery of the just war idea and its use in contemporary debate on ethics and the…

There are three important reasons why Paul Ramsey’s “The Just War” should be remembered and read by those who haven’t yet encountered it, or reread by those who have.