THE JUST WAR THEORY
Saint
Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13, 354, in the town of Thagaste, on the
northern coast of Africa, in what is now Algeria. North Africa was part of the
Roman Empire, though it was considered something of a backwater, far from the
centers of imperial power. Augustine had at least one brother, Navigius, and at
least one sister, but little information is available about his
siblings.
Patricius
his father was a pagan, an adherent of the Roman civic religion. Augustine's
mother, Monica (sometimes spelled Monnica), had been raised as a Christian.
Although Patricius was only lukewarm about Christianity, he allowed Monica to
raise the couple's children as Christians, and he finally converted to
Christianity before his death. The example of his mother's fervent faith was a
strong influence on young Augustine, one that would follow him throughout his
life. In contrast, Patricius had relatively little influence on Augustine's
character.
In 384,
Augustine moved to Milan, his mother had followed him to Milan, and she arranged
an advantageous marriage to a Christian girl from a good family, requiring
Augustine to send his concubine away. In the fall of 386, he had a conversion
experience that convinced him to renounce his career and his marriage prospects
in order to dedicate his life to God. He spent the winter with a group of
like-minded friends, withdrawn from the world, reading and discussing
Christianity. At Easter 387, he was finally baptized by Bishop Ambrose. On their
way back to Africa, his group of friends and family was delayed at the coastal
city of Ostia, where his mother fell ill and died.
In 389,
Augustine returned to Thagaste, where he lived on his family estate in a small,
quasi-monastic community. But Augustine's talents continued to attract
attention. In 391, he visited the city of Hippo Regius (http://www.bible-history.com/maps/romanempire/Hippo-Reglus.html), in order
to start a monastery, but he ended up being drafted into the priesthood by a
Christian congregation there. In 395, he became the Bishop of Hippo. He spent
the next 35 years preaching, celebrating mass, resolving local disputes, and
ministering to his congregation. He continued to write, and he became famous
throughout the Christian world for his role in several
controversies.
Saint Augustine of Hippo is
noted in history as the founder of “Just War Theory” in the Western tradition
(The Islamic world has its own tradition of “Just War Theory” based on the
Koran). This is a body of thought that seeks to provide guidelines for when it
is justified for one nation to wage war on another. These guidelines also seek
to clarify what sorts of conduct are morally acceptable within war. Islamic concepts of war do
not define and conceptualize things in exactly the same way as western thinking
has done within the “Just War” framework. Yet the parallels with the western
world are striking. The reasons for going to war expressed within the Qur’an
closely match those within the “Just War” criteria which establishes the justice
of a decision to undertake combat. The criteria include; Just Cause,
Proportionality and Last Resort.
One popular
theory of justice in war is simply “Might is Right”. Whosoever
has the greater power is able to dominate others, and so is in the position to
determine what is just and unjust. An early philosophical statement of this
position is given by Thrasymachus in
Plato's Republic. He says that "justice is the interest of the
stronger." Numerous nations have followed this policy, even though
few admit it. Imagine a nation that was so powerful that no other nation could
stand as a credible threat?
Perhaps this
nation had great weapons of total destruction as well as powerful military
forces to enforce policies. Such a nation would seek to protect its status as
the primary might by attacking any other nation that came close to its military
power. Of course, such a nation would issue proclamations of its virtue and
benevolence and inherent peacefulness. Yet, let another power emerge that posed
even a remote threat to it and that other power would be attacked and
dismantled. Such a nation would operate on the “Might is Right”
principle.
Augustine
lived in the era when Rome had lost its control of the world and was quickly
falling to other powers. The question of moral values in war were immanent for
him. Augustine identified two aspects of war that required moral justification
and guidelines:
1. The right
to go to war.
2. The right sorts of conduct in war.
2. The right sorts of conduct in war.
The right to
go to war concerns the justification that a nation must give in order for it to
have a moral right to wage war on another. Augustine laid the basis for four
main criteria:
1. Just
Authority - is
the decision to go to war based on a legitimate political and legal process?
2. Just Cause - has a wrong been committed to which war is the appropriate response?
3. Right Intention - is the response proportional to the cause? i.e. is the war action limited to righting the wrong, and no further. So when people speak of "mission creep," this condition is the relevant concern.
4. Last Resort - has every other means of righting the wrong been attempted sincerely so that no other option but war remains?
2. Just Cause - has a wrong been committed to which war is the appropriate response?
3. Right Intention - is the response proportional to the cause? i.e. is the war action limited to righting the wrong, and no further. So when people speak of "mission creep," this condition is the relevant concern.
4. Last Resort - has every other means of righting the wrong been attempted sincerely so that no other option but war remains?
The conduct of war is clearly
a matter of moral concern. Even when a nation is justified in waging war on
another, there are moral limits on what it may do in prosecuting the war.
Defining and enforcing such limits has been a long a concern for international
agreement and law, such as the Hague laws and
the Geneva Conventions.
1.
Proportionality - The
proportionality of the use of force in a war. The degree of allowable force used
in the war must be measured against the force required to correct the Just cause
and limited by Just Intention.
2. Discrimination - The combatants discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Innocent, non-military people should never be made the target of attacks.
3. Responsibility - A country is not responsible for unexpected side effects of its military activity as long as the following three conditions are met:
(a) The action must carry the intention to produce good consequences.
(b) The bad effects were not intended.
(c) The good of the war must outweigh the damage done by it.
2. Discrimination - The combatants discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Innocent, non-military people should never be made the target of attacks.
3. Responsibility - A country is not responsible for unexpected side effects of its military activity as long as the following three conditions are met:
(a) The action must carry the intention to produce good consequences.
(b) The bad effects were not intended.
(c) The good of the war must outweigh the damage done by it.
These criteria have been
revised and expanded, notably by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century
and the Hague laws and the Geneva Conventions of the current
era.
Since war
seems to be a constant human condition, the concerns for its moral constraint
are ever important. Consider how the criteria of “Just War” may be applied to
the present. Clearly an insightful philosopher writing almost 1,600 years ago
speaks to matters that are relevant to us now and will be relevant to us for
some time. Philosophy is a living and present concern, even when it speaks to us
from the distant past.
P.S. GOOD DAY! :) As U draw your next breath, remember that GOD's
LOVE surrounds U as U travel through
this Day & each Day & Night thereafter!
So may GOD bless U & keep U;
May GOD make His face shine upon U & be gracious to U; May GOD turn His face
toward U & give U His Precious Peace. May this Day & Tonight & many
thereafter, be Blessed by GOD! In His HOLY NAME I pray.
AMEN!
Posted
by,
Sir
Richard…
Always Pray
For Peace.
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