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Understanding War: Definitions, Causes, and Just War Theory in 20th Century American History

This introduction explores the concept of war as a conflict aiming to resolve disputes through force, focusing on its definition, motivations, and ethical considerations. It examines whether war is an inherent trait of humanity, the societal factors that lead to conflict, and whether rules, such as the Geneva Conventions, exist to govern warfare. Through the lens of Just War Theory, the text discusses criteria for just warfare, including last resort, legitimate authority, self-defense, proportionality, and the aim of re-establishing peace, with historical examples like the Korean War.

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Understanding War: Definitions, Causes, and Just War Theory in 20th Century American History

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Presentation Transcript

  1. 20th Century American History War: An Introduction

  2. War: A Definition • Noun • A conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea or air. • A state or period of armed hostility or active military operations (cold war vs. hot war) • a struggle: a war for men’s minds, a war against poverty

  3. Motivation • Answer the following questions about war. Be ready to share! • Is war an innate characteristic of human beings? • Are there “rules” when it comes to war? Why or why not? • Is there such a thing as a “just” war?

  4. Causes of War • Is war an innate characteristic of human beings? Why do humans go to war? • Biological? • Testosterone? • Societal? • Earliest archaeological evidence of war is from 12,000 years ago: between hunter gatherers • War begets war: leads to war-mongering societies, war is like a disease, it spreads through space and time.

  5. Rules? “All warfare is based on deception.” -- Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” “By any means necessary” –Malcolm X “The ends justify the means” – Machiavelli • Are there “rules” in war? • Is it practical to have rules of war?

  6. Geneva Conventions • standing written rules to protect victims of conflicts • open to all States; the obligation to extend care without discrimination to wounded and sick military personnel • respect for and marking of medical personnel, transports and equipment using an emblem (red cross on a white background).

  7. Is there such a thing as a just war? • Just War Theory: most widely accepted theory of the morality of war.

  8. 1. Last Resort • A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified. • Ex: Hitler and appeasement

  9. 2. Legitimate Authority • A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate. • Ex: Terrorism is not just Black September: Munich Olympics, 1972

  10. 3. Self-Defense! • A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause. Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury. • Ex: War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq

  11. 4. Chance of Success and Proportional • A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable. • The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. • Ex: Media Silence in War in Iraq • General Tommy Franks “We don’t do body counts” –aclu.org (American civil liberties union) • Up to 250,000 Civilians

  12. 5. Non-Combatants • The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. --Sun Tzu’s Art of War

  13. 6. Peace • The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

  14. Put the theory to use: Start with an Example • The Korean War: • Why did S. Korea go to war against North Korea? • Why did America join in the war effort?

  15. Introduction to the Reading Zinn Ch 1: The Empire and its People

  16. Before You Read… • What was America like before the Spanish-American War? • What is imperialism? • Describe American political ideals. What exactly is democracy? • How are the two terms “imperialism” and “democracy” related?

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