Just And Unjust Wars

by Walzer, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780465037070
• ISBN10: 0465037070
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-25
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

From the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai Massacre, from the wars in the Balkans through the first war in Iraq, Michael Walzer examines the moral issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war. He studies a variety of conflicts over the course of history, as well as the testimony of those who have been most directly involved--participants, decision makers, and victims. In his introduction to this new edition, Walzer specifically addresses the moral issues surrounding the war in and occupation of Iraq, reminding us once again that "the argument about war and justice is still a political and moral necessity."

Author Biography

Michael Walzer is Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, and the author of many widely heralded books, including Spheres of Justice, Exodus and Revolution, and The Company of Critics, all available from Basic Books. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fourth Edition	ix
Preface	xix
Acknowledgments	xxvii
PART ONE THE MORAL REALITY OF WAR
1 Against "Realism"	3	(18)
The Realist Argument	4	(9)
The Melian Dialogue Strategy and Morality	13	(3)
Historical Relativism	16	(5)
Three Accounts of Agincourt
2 The Crime of War	21	(13)
The Logic of War	22	(3)
The Argument of Karl von Clausewitz
The Limit of Consent	25	(4)
The Tyranny of War	29	(5)
General Sherman and the Burning of Atlanta
3 The Rules of War	34	(17)
The Moral Equality of Soldiers	34	(7)
The Case of Hitler's Generals
Two Sorts of Rules	41	(3)
The War Convention	44	(7)
The Example of Surrender
PART TWO THE THEORY OF AGGRESSION
4 Law and Order in International Society	51	(23)
Aggression	51	(2)
The Rights of Political Communities	53	(5)
The Case of Alsace-Lorraine
The Legalist Paradigm	58	(5)
Unavoidable Categories	63	(4)
Karl Marx and the Franco-Prussian War
The Argument for Appeasement	67	(7)
Czechoslovakia and the Munich Principle Finland
5 Anticipations	74	(12)
Preventive War and the Balance of Power	76	(4)
The War of the Spanish
Succession Pre-emptive Strikes	80	(6)
The Six Day War
6 Interventions	86	(23)
Self-Determination and Self-Help	87	(4)
The Argument of John Stuart Mill
Secession	91	(5)
The Hungarian Revolution
Civil War	96	(5)
The American War in Vietnam
Humanitarian Intervention	101	(8)
Cuba, 1898, and Bangladesh, 1971
7 War's Ends, and the Importance of Winning	109	(18)
Unconditional Surrender	111	(6)
Allied Policy in World War II
Justice in Settlements	117	(10)
The Korean War
PART THREE THE WAR CONVENTION
8 War's Means, and the Importance of Fighting Well	127	(11)
Utility and Proportionality	129	(4)
The Argument of Henry Sidgwick
Human Rights	133	(5)
The Rape of the Italian Women
9 Noncombatant Immunity and Military Necessity	138	(22)
The Status of Individuals	138	(6)
Naked Soldiers
The Nature of Necessity (1)	144	(7)
Submarine Warfare: The Laconia Affair
Double Effect	151	(9)
Bombardment in Korea
The Bombing of Occupied France and the Vemork Raid
10 War Against Civilians: Sieges and Blockades	160	(16)
Coercion and Responsibility	161	(4)
The Siege of Jerusalem, 72 A.D.
The Right to Leave	165	(5)
The Siege of Leningrad
Taking Aim and the Doctrine of Double Effect	170	(6)
The British Blockade of Germany
11 Guerrilla War	176	(21)
Resistance to Military Occupation	176	(3)
A Partisan Attack
The Rights of Guerrilla Fighters	179	(7)
The Rights of Civilian Supporters	186	(11)
The American "Rules of Engagement" in Vietnam
12 Terrorism	197	(10)
The Political Code	197	(7)
The Russian Populists, the IRA, and the Stern Gang
The Vietcong Assassination Campaign
Violence and Liberation	204	(3)
Jean-Paul Sartre and the Battle of Algiers
13 Reprisals	207	(18)
Deterrence Without Retribution	207	(9)
The FFI Prisoners at Annecy
The Problem of Peacetime Reprisals	216	(9)
The Attack on Khibye and the Beirut Raid
PART FOUR DILEMMAS OF WAR
14 Winning and Fighting Well	225	(8)
"Asinine Ethics"	225	(3)
Chairman Mao and the Battle of the River Hung
The Sliding Scale and the Argument from Extremity	228	(5)
15 Aggression and Neutrality	233	(18)
The Right to Be Neutral	234	(5)
The Nature of Necessity (2)	239	(3)
The Rape of Belgium
The Sliding Scale	242	(9)
Winston Churchill and Norwegian Neutrality
16 Supreme Emergency	251	(18)
The Nature of Necessity (3)	251	(4)
Overriding the Rules of War	255	(8)
The Decision to Bomb German Cities
The Limits of Calculation	263	(6)
Hiroshima
17 Nuclear Deterrence	269	(18)
The Problem of Immoral Threats	269	(5)
Limited Nuclear War	274	(13)
The Argument of Paul Ramsey
PART FIVE THE QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY
18 The Crime of Aggression: Political Leaders and Citizens	287	(17)
The World of Officials	289	(7)
Nuremberg: "The Ministries Case"
Democratic Responsibilities	296	(8)
The American People and the Vietnam War
19 War Crimes: Soldiers and Their Officers	304	(25)
In the Heat of Battle	306	(3)
Two Accounts of Killing Prisoners
Superior Orders	309	(7)
The My Lai Massacre
Command Responsibility	316	(7)
General Bradley and the Bombing of St, Lô
The Case of General Yamashita
The Nature of Necessity (4)	323	(2)
The Dishonoring of Arthur Harris
Conclusion	325	(4)
Afterword Nonviolence and the Theory of War	329	(26)
Notes 33;
Index	355