Just Wars by Alex J Bellamy

Just Wars by Alex J Bellamy

In what circumstances is it legitimate to use force? How should force be used? These are two of the most crucial questions confronting world politics today. The Just War tradition provides a set of criteria which political leaders and soldiers use to defend and rationalize war. This book explores the evolution of thinking about just wars and examines its role in shaping contemporary judgements about the use of force, from grand strategic issues of whether states have a right to pre-emptive self-defence, to the minutiae of targeting. Bellamy maps the evolution of the Just War tradition, demonstrating how it arose from a myriad of sub-traditions, including scholasticism, the holy war tradition, chivalry, natural law, positive law, Erasmus and Kant's reformism, and realism from Machiavelli to Morgenthau. He then applies this tradition to a range of contemporary normative dilemmas related to terrorism, pre-emption, aerial bombardment and humanitarian intervention.

"One could not wish for a more tightly developed set of empirical cases.. Bellamy produces a very thoughtful narrative, emphasizing the disparate elements that comprise the modern just war tradition."
Perspectives

"A model of careful and balanced discussion ... Bellamy strikes just the right balance between rigorous examination of general concepts and consideration of the concrete aspects of particular cases."
Henry Shue, Survival

“A convincing analysis of the emergence of international law and the dominance of realism after the Second World War [and] an excellent application of this theoretical and historical narrative to contemporary issues.”
Political Studies Review

"This is an engaging book that captures the breadth and depth of arguments over why and how we should kill one another."
International Affairs

"A book to admire and to argue with – in other words, the best sort of book."
Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago

Alex Bellamy is Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780745632834
ISBN 10	0745632831
Title	Just Wars
Author	Alex J Bellamy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Year published	2006-09-12
Number of pages	296
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.