The Just War Tradition

Reclaiming the just war tradition Politicians, pundits, and scholars have cited the principles of "just war" to defend military actions from Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya. Other politicians, pundits, and scholars have cited just war principles to "condemn" those same military interventions. How can t [...]
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Reclaiming the just war tradition Politicians, pundits, and scholars have cited the principles of "just war" to defend military actions from Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya. Other politicians, pundits, and scholars have cited just war principles to "condemn" those same military interventions. How can the same tradition lead to such sharply opposing conclusions? What "is "the just war tradition, and why is it important today? Authors David D. Corey and J. Daryl Charles answer those questions in this insightful exploration. A fascinating blend of history, theology, and political philosophy, "The Just War Tradition: An Introduction" traces the development of the tradition from its inception nearly two millennia ago. Corey and Charles illuminate how the various voices within the tradition--from Augustine and Aquinas, to Luther and Calvin, to Suarez and Locke, up to present-day commentators--relate to one another and to rival ways of understanding war and peace. While the just war tradition cannot be reduced to a checklist, a bare catalog of criteria that must be fulfilled for war to be just, Corey and Charles reveal why this rich tradition provides the "only" framework for evaluating the moral particulars of coercive force. Their invaluable book reintroduces the wisdom that is desperately needed in our national debates.