Just War: The Just War Tradition: Ethics in Modern Warfare

by Charles Guthrie, Michael Quinlan

Every society and every period of history has had to face the reality of war. War inevitably yields situations in which the normal ethical rules of society have to be overridden. The Just War tradition has evolved over the centuries as a careful endeavour to impose moral discipline and humanity on resort to war and in its waging, and the tradition deserves our attention now as much as ever.Just War traces the origin and nature of the tradition from its roots in Christian thinking and provides a clear summary of its principles, which are accessible to all beliefs. As the circumstances and necessities of war have changed over time, so too have the practical interpretations of the tradition. Drawing examples from Kosovo, Afghanistan and the wars in Iraq, Charles Guthrie and Michael Quinlan look at the key concepts in relation to modern armed conflict.The tradition sets rational limits and respects the adversary's humanity amid the chaos of war, and provides systematic questions which governments and armed forces must ask themselves before they engage in war. This short but powerful book is a timely re-examination of its tenets and their relevance in the twenty-first century, setting out the case for a workable and credible moral framework for modern war before, while and after it is waged.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Philosophy, Politics, History, War

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2007

About the author

Field Marshal Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank GCB, LVO, OBE, DL

Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Welsh Guards upon graduation from Sandhurst (1959) and rose through the officer ranks of the British Army during a career spanning 42 years. He served as Chief of the General Staff (1994-1997) and Chief of the Defence Staff (1997-2001, his retirement).

He served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and in the Bosnian and Kosovo wars.

Among his honors and appointments, he was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1977, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1980, raised to a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in 1984, appointed Colonel Commandant of the Intelligence Corps in 1986, invested a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1990, in 1994 he was appointed an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Queen Elizabeth II and raised to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), in 1999 he was appointed Colonel of the Life Guards and Gold Stick-in-Waiting (a bodyguard position in the service of the Sovereign), he was also received the Legion of Merit (officer class, United States), appointed Colonel Commandant of the Special Air Service (SAS) in 2000, given a life peerage as Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank in 2001, promoted to the rank of honorary Field Marshal in 2012, became Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University in 2013, as a convert to Roman Catholicism he was invited to become a Knight of Malta, and became a Patron of the Cardinal Hume Centre (a Catholic charity to help the homeless) as well as a patron of several other charitable organizations.

Reviews

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guthrie, Charles, and Michael Quinlan, Just War. The Just War Tradition: Ethics in Modern Warfare (London: Bloomsbury, 2007) – Helder geschreven boekwerkje (45 blz) van twee oudgedienden van het Britse ministerie van Defensie. Guthrie en Quinlan onderzoeken en onderstrepen de actualiteitswaarde van de leer van de rechtvaardige oorlog. Naast een bespreking van het ius ad bellum en het ius in bello aan de hand van recente interventies stippen zij de gedachtevorming over een ius post bellum aan, maar uitwerking aan deze gedachte geven zij niet. Zij onthouden zich van een oordeel over Irak 2003. De bijlage maakt duidelijk dat de islam en – in mindere mate – het jodendom soortgelijke concepten hebben ontwikkeld als die van de leer van de rechtvaardige oorlog. Genuanceerd en gezaghebbend. Cijfer: 8. Gelezen: 2007/8.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise summary of 'just war' theory.

[Edwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly basic information, and presented without any support or citations. Amazingly enough, several of the names of the major figures in the development of Just War Theory (Grotius, Vitoria, Suarez, etc.) do not appear. The only evidence given was examples of conflicts in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Additionally, the authors seem smitten by the concept of the United Nations as the arbiter of justice in war for the future, yet acknowledge that that body's proven inability to counter even the most obscene violations of humanitarian norms and laws makes it impossible for states to abide by UN resolutions or desires.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handy and comprehensive mini guide to the bare bones of JWT. An essential introduction.

[Maggie Hesseling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting little book about what is 'Just War' and what it means in terms of morality. Especially with the issues we see on the news daily and the amount of countries at war, this piece puts a number of things in perspective when discussing in what terms a war is just.

[Bjwoodford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review upon completion.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick Primer to the Just War Tradition. Not surprisingly the focus is entirely on the tradition as developed in the context of the Abrahamic religions.