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Comparison Essay: How Just Were the U.S.’s Small Wars?

The Just War Theory has two parts. Study the Just War handout and select the two most significant criteria for **//jus ad bellum//** and two most significant criteria for **//jus in bello//**. With these criteria in mind, select one war from each of your three tables that best meets these criteria. In the essay, you will analyze, compare and rank these three wars.

Write an essay that compares the three small wars and analyzes how well all three meet the four criteria that you believe are most important. Based on this comparison, select the __"most just"__ of the three wars and explain the reasons for the choice. Also, explain why your __second choice__ fell short and were not as just as your __first choice__ but is more just than your __third choice__.

RUBRIC: A quality essay will Explain why you selected **jus ad bellum** and **jus in bello** the criteria, Use the __four__ criteria to analyze why the three small wars are "just wars", Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, Organize you writing in extended power paragraphs, Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited.

In 1992 the U.S. fought Somalia to restore their nation so we could establish a stable democratic government there. The U.S. wanted to prevent the need for help from "outside interventions"(Somalia Wiki page). We also were saving innocent Somalian lives, therefore this war would fall under a Jus ad bellum criteria and be a Just cause (Criteria for a Just War). A just cause is a reason for going into a war, "Innocent life must be in imminent danger and [involvement] must be to protect,"(Criteria for Just War).The purpose of the U.S. small war in Somalia was to protect innocent lives, and keep their country stable, the war in Somalia was a Just War.

Pancho Villa in 1916 to 1917 was a Just War. Although we were punishing people who have done wrong, we were doing it to stop the public and civilians from being in danger and harmed. The whole reason for this war was to stop terrorists and by definition a terrorist is: "A person who terrorizes or frightens others"(Dictionary.com). So our troops were protecting the innocent from harms way. We may have broke our own rules but we did what ever it took to keep the innocent out of harms way, and it worked. Pancho Villa is a Just War.

In the fall of 1899 to September 7, 1901 the Boxer Rebelion occurred between the Chinese Boxers. The Boxers were a group of people against any sort of Westernization. The Boxers killed and tortured people who were transitioning to the western ways and converting to Christianity(wiki page). President Mckinley was a major decision maker, he decided to go to china because the Chinese are adapting our ways, so in a way he felt it was our fault those innocent people were getting killed. The Boxer Rebellion was a Just War because we were helping the innocent and keeping them away from threats and danger.

I believe that Pancho Villa is more Just than the other two wars explained above. I believe this because it involves two jus ad bellum criteria, Just Cause, and Comparative Justice. It was Just Cause because the U.S. was protecting the innocent. Pancho Villa included comparative justice because there were wrongs on both sides, The U.S. was torturing wrong do-ers and Villa's followers were killing innocent people. Pancho Villa is the most Just compared to the two other wars I explained.

RUBRIC: A quality essay will Explain why you selected the two jus ad bellum and the two jus in bello the criteria, criteria identified and defined Use the __four__ criteria to analyze why the three small wars are "just wars", apply criteria with weeping claims, little supporting evidence offered. Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, too little evidence used; your claims are too general to make your case Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, you only defend you first choice and offer no supporting evidence Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, comparison attempted but stops with Pancho Villa Organize you writing in extended power paragraphs, inconsistently use power paragraph format Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, not done Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. not done