Jus ad Bellum: Just War in Afghanistan?

After dissecting the different aspects of Michael Walzer’s “Just and Unjust War” I found his assertions quite interesting and accurate. He described three different aspects of War. Jus ad bellum (Right to war), Jus in bello (Law in war), and Jus post bellum (Justice after war) are the three stages that comprise a complete “Just War” as Walzer had explained. Some may argue that this theory is outdated and in need of a more modern remodeling. I for one believe that the simplicity of Just War theory is what makes it so effective. It relies on basic ideas and concepts, which are able to clearly draw a line between acceptable declarations of war.

Firefighters hoist an American Flag after the
September 11 attacks on the twin towers. 

            The 2 wars prevalent American wars in my lifetime are the Iraq War (2004) and the War on terror in Afghanistan (2001). The first most can agree did not follow the Jus ad bellum portion of Just War Theory, as it’s true intentions were hidden behind a mask of questionable intelligence that believed weapons of mass destruction were hidden in Iraq. Something tells me oil was a factor. However, the public has been much more accepting of the war in Afghanistan and in this post I will dissect the motives and results of American policies to determine whether Walzer’s Jus ad bellum was breeched as it was in the Iraq War.

            First off, the cause must be just. Although this leaves room for opinion it is certain that the September 11 attacks on New York, Washington D.C, as well as the high jacking of several commercial airliners gave more than enough cause to engage in war. This attack was arguably the worst on American soil since Pearl Harbor, which was an attack by the Japanese during WWII. Although support for the war has dwindled in recent years, it’s undeniable that the original threat warranted such a response. Secondly, the proper authority must conduct and authorize war.  Private individuals or groups cannot start war and only figures of substantial power have that ability. President Bush used his executive power to deploy US forces, but later was backed by the UN and NATO.

            The next criteria that must be fulfilled holds that comparative justice must be facilitated. In this scenario nearly 3,000 innocent people were killed as a result, therefore showing the atrocities of the attack, which warrant the U.S entering Afghanistan to find and capture al-Qaeda members. There must also be a probability of success. At the time I believe this was somewhat overlooked, as few doubted the power of the U.S military. Yet, such terrorist groups continue to have allies and resources in the Middle East that give the groups a bigger advantage than anticipated. Yet, with the recent capture of Osama bin Laden many might consider the war a success regardless.

The capture and death of Osama bin Laden has proved
to many that the war in Afghanistan has been successful. 

successful

            War must also be a last resort. When all negotiations and diplomatic processes do not resolve the problem, only then can war be just. The terrorist organizations (the Taliban and al-Qaeda), were not interested in any negotiations and the use of force was needed to expel these threats from Afghanistan.  The only aspect of Just War Theory that may have been breached is that of proportionality. This aspect suggests that the amount of evil stopped by entering a state of war must exceed the evil had there not been a war in the first place. This segment is quite tricky in my opinion. There have been over 3,000 causalities as a result of the war while unrest in the Middle East has greatly risen in response to this war. Yet, with the capture of Osama bin Laden and other cautious victories many would argue that this “proportionality” was indeed followed.

            According to Walzer’s Jus ad bellum, it seems that the Afghanistan war has passed the required tests to successfully and appropriately. Many will argue whether the war has been successful or started in the first place, but it cannot be assessed that the U.S was unjust in it’s evaluation and process of war.

Works Cited:

·      Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. New York: Basic Books, 1977. 

·      "Coalition Military Fatalities." iCasualties. iCasualties, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. <http://icasualties.org/oef/>. 

·      Farinaccio, Joseph. "The U.S War in Afghanistan and Just War Theory." 
     Chalcedon. Chalcedon Foundation, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. 
     <http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/the-u-s-war-in-afghanistan-and-just-war-  theory/>. 

Media:

·   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBovmGZSPU

·      http://www.examiner.com/article/9-11-remembrance-talk-to-your-kids-about-september-11th-using-books-websites-tv-and-conversation

·      http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-killed-worldwide-reactions/100058/