Explain the Just War Theory

Explain Just War Theory

Just War is an ethical theory which was first proposed by Cicero. Cicero lived in Rome at the turn of the first century; he observed that “the rights of war must be strictly observed”. The theory was designed to regulate warfare and provide guidelines for the declaration of war. Cicero lived in the time of Civil war in Rome and instructed that “there are certain duties we owe even to those who have wronged us”.

Cicero’s theory proposed six certain rules of engagement; the first of which is that war is a last resort, only to occur after all forms of discussion have been tried. Cicero also commanded that the victors should be merciful, he stated that “we should spare those who have not been barbarous in their warfare” this means that the victor should not completely destroy a country once they have won. This is basically calling for the victor to take the violence no further than necessary, once a victory has been achieved then there is no need for any further violence/destruction. Cicero's third rule of war is that the purpose of war is to secure lasting peace. This is to prevent the intention of war being of a corrupt nature and purely for self gain; Cicero said the aim is to secure lasting peace “that shall not admit of guile”. Cicero also stresses a humanistic approach to war and instructs that the conduct of war should be governed by humane laws. This prevents atrocities and war crimes from occurring in battle, this rule is mentioned to stop torture and inhumane acts. This rule will later develop into international documentation such as the Geneva Convention. Cicero's fifth rule is that war should only be conducted after due warning and formal declaration, this is an attempt to make warfare as fair as possible and prevent an unfair advantage of surprise. Finally, Cicero writes that promises made to the enemy must be kept. This is where the two countries at war must remain trustworthy, if one promises to not use a certain weapon then...