Major Theories of Why Nations Go to War or Stay at Peace

Major Theories of Why Nations Go to War or Stay at Peace

Introduction

In this paper, I will argue that manifestation of violence may be legitimatized but the theorists have always focused on conveying the positive side of humanity and protecting the rights of an individual. The concept and reality of war have prompted the question: “Can a war be justified?” Some believe it cannot and accordingly advocate pacifism. Others believe it sometimes can and, accordingly, have developed theories aimed at stating when a war is justified. One such theory is the theory of bellum justum or just-war theory, of which there are various versions, which began to be formulated in Ancient Rome and found their more developed formulations during the middle ages. On all versions, however, the war must be fought for a just cause, but interpretations differ on what a just cause is. In Ancient Rome, a just cause was typically revenge or defense concerning the honor or safety of Rome. On a more recent interpretation, a just cause is that of bringing about a state of affairs required by principles of justice.

Justice theories are used for the systematic determination of what justice is and the grounds of justice in a social order to be effective. Deals with theories of justice are especially philosophy, economics and sociology. Justice theories have normative character. They deal with the issue from the point, what is justice definition, and how justice can be made. Empirical evidence to justice, however, is derived from the results of research on justice. The meaning of the term violence is understood in different ways.

Just War Theory

The roots of Western European theory lay in the fifth-century efforts of St. Augustine (354-430) to find justification for Christian participation in the wars of the Roman Empire. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) built on his ideas and added the influence of Islamic thought. His efforts were succeeded by those of the neo-scholastics, Francisco de Vitoria (1486-1546) and Francisco Suarez (1548-1617). During this period the tradition was refined by canon lawyers and supplemented by the practices of chivalry. Their influence helped spread just war theory beyond its Christian origins and into the stream of secular international law and politics. The evolved standards of conduct of military personnel also enrich the tradition, particularly regarding jus in bello (Bartholomeusz, 2002). The medieval practices of chivalry came to be supplemented by important additions, such as Gustavus Adolphus's (1594-1632) Swedish Discipline formulated during the Thirty Years War and the Union Army's General Order No. 100 of 1863 during the American Civil War. The active concern of professional military personnel continues to buttress the code of conduct.

Just war theory is currently kept alive and nurtured by Catholic (including John Courtney Murray and William V. O'Brian) and Protestant (such as Paul Ramsey and James Turner Johnson) thinkers as well as secular theoreticians and philosophers. Even writers not specifically within the just war tradition, such as Nicholas Fotion and Gerard Elfstrom, ...