PLS 377 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Jus Ad Bellum, Preemptive War, Legal Positivism
Document Summary
Realism the most extreme view that war is justifiable if undertaken to serve the national interest. Very pessimistic view, as self-preservation involves abandoning moral inhibitions. A more moderate realist view is that justice in foreign relations depends on the aims of the government rather than actions undertaken to achieve them. Pacifism results from a philosophical and moral predilection for nonviolence, a rejection of the use of force as an instrument of national policy for the preservation of human life: war is bad, don"t do it. For those who accept the use of force as a legitimate instrument of state policy in some but not all circumstances, there are two sets of ethical principles to consider when judging the morality of war. Jus ad bellum justice of war, the reasons states have for fighting. Jus in bello justice in war, the means they adopt when fighting. 2 conditions must be met for a war to be legitimate, these appear in the.
