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Essay About Just War

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War, the Necessary Beast
Many people have probably heard Bruce Springsteen belt out the famous lines, “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” However, Mr. Springsteen would be wrong in that statement. While war is horrible, it ironically has propelled us on a course that has made us richer, safer, and lead to progress and development. War has led to the establishment of larger societies, it is justifiable and necessary in some instances, and leads to an immense amount of progress and development in society and technologies.
Many times it has been said that war is insanity. It is brutal, harsh, and can lead to extreme casualties, homelessness and violence. Many people have asked why war exists. They have come to the conclusion that war does nothing for good and only …show more content…

Just war is the idea that war can be good and morally acceptable if under certain conditions. The theory of just war has been put forth many times, particularly in reference to documents by the Catholic Church, such as the Summa Theologica. The first detailed development of the idea was by St. Thomas Aquinas who laid out the necessary parts for just war in his book, the Summa Theologica. For a war to be just, he said, “It must be ordered by a competent Authority, the cause must be just and the intention must be good” (Haass). Modern Just War Theory is based on two factors, the decision to go to war, and how to fight said war. According to a summary by the Council on Foreign Relations, “Building on the writings of both Augustine and Aquinas, there must be a just cause as well as a decision by a competent authority sanctioning the undertaking. War must be a last resort. There must be a good chance of success. And projected benefits must outweigh projected costs” (Haass). Just wars have occurred many times in US history. The First and Second World Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the Persian Gulf War are all examples of the application of just war theory. These were wars

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