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

In Veracruz, Mexico, 1914, the U.S. was upset by the new leader. He was planning to abolish a previous agreement that let the U.S. use Mexico's oil (Ashley M, Task 1). Germany started giving arms and ammunition to the Mexican "government". This gave the U.S. a just cause, or rational and realistic reason, to go in. The just cause was that innocent people were being threatened and there was no sense of safety. The United States went in to protect civilians and diminish attacks on innocent people. Also, the United States had a right intention, this being that they didn't gain anything in return: such as land or money. The U.S. was not in this war to prove something or gain another thing, but to lower civilian deaths and become peaceful again. The U.S. was involved in the war before they sent in military forces, keeping in mind the military necessity. Military necessity is being aware when the right time is to use militaristic ways and bring in the army. The U.S. did not need to bring in the forces until Germany started to give arms and ammunition to the Mexicans. This caused a sense of fear and seemed to be leading in a more violent way. Once the U.S. was involved with the forces, they kept their focuses on keeping civilian deaths low and protecting people in harm's way. The proportionality (of civilian deaths) was taken into consideration because if the U.S. were to hurt citizens, the Mexican government could've cause a more gruesome fight or a full out war. Also, U.S. citizens had already lived in Mexico for a while and fighting would make us look bad or hurt our people (Ashley M, Task 3). The United States entered a war in the Boxer Rebellion with the right intention and a just cause. The Rebellion was against all westerners and people who were okay with westerners. For a while the "rebels" just kept attacking and killing innocent people because of where they were from and how they lived their lives. In Brooks' Wiki page on the Boxer Rebellion, people in the country agreed with going in. One person even said that "it was time for . . . the United States . . . to come to the rescue of their citizens in China (Fontenoy, Paul E). The U.S. found it was necessary to protect their people and also had a public that backed up their decision. Their intention going in was not to gain money or land, but to stop the innocent killings and avoid future conflicts or wars. Avoiding future fighting would create a less militaristic and more united world. Once they were in the war, the U.S. did everything with proportionality in mind. This being that they were to get the enemies without causing civilian casualities. The U.S. did not want to stoop to the level of enemies and, because they went into the war to save lives, they did not want to be the ones to kill. Our country was determined on finding the enemies and diminishing the attacks. As we were involved in this conflict, we realized military necessity was in our best interest; with all the violence, we had a reason to put our forces in. These forces were there to protect the foreigners, missionaries, preists, and even some of their own chinese citizens (Brooks, Task 1). After World War 2, the United States and and the rest of the United Nations signed a Genocide Convention. Shea and Micheal, who studied the Bosnia-Herzegovina War explained that the UN promised not to let genocide happen again after the Holocaust and made it a human right. But, in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992, Serbs starting killing people because of their nationality. To let this unlawful killing go on would be going against what the UN stood for and against their duties to protect the people. With a just cause to protect all people and all nationalities, the US entered into the Bosnia-Herzegovina War. There was nothing physical to gain (like money or land), which means the US went in with a right intention: to protect people and make things right. Military necessity was unquestionable. Civilian deaths were what the US was trying to get rid of and the attacks from enemies just kept coming. If the military had not brought in forces, another version of the Holocaust could have occurred along with violent killings of innocent people. Taking out the enemies would even out the proportionality and help lower civilian casualties. Fear all around the world and in the UN made the UN and the US go in, determined to take out enemies and ensure safety and stability. A just war must have the right reason for fight and/or occupying a nation, country, or city. After studying and learning about the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Boxer Rebellion, and the conflict in Veracruz, Mexico, a person cane conclude that the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina is the must - or has the most rational reason for stepping in militarily. The world had already seen and been devastated by a full blown war that came from a conflict almost exactly like this one. The people who died in World War 2 and were dying in the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina did not deserve to have their lives taken away from them. The crime, being genocide, was against human rights. The UN, having signed a Genocide Convention, had already said that if this were to happen the would immediately go in the stop it. If they didn't, they were going against their own words and duties. The War in Bosnia-Herzegovina had the most threatening outcome and gave the most rational reasoning for going into to fight. Not as serious as the B-H War, the Boxer Rebellion was still a just war and came next in line to the B-H War. Unlike the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Boxer Rebellion was before all races were thought of equally and there was no document to ensure safety. The Boxer Rebellion was only against the westerners whereas the B-H War focused on all nationalities. Still, the people being killed, harmed, and threatened were those of our own and the US had a duty to protect their people, no matter where they lived. Even though it didn't seem as serious as the B-H War, the Boxer Rebellion was a more just war than the conflict in Veracruz, Mexico. The intention for the Boxer Rebellion was to protect live of innocent people. But in Veracruz, Mexico, the US started being in the conflict because their oil had been taken away. The fightings may have been to get back at the Mexican government but did not have the best intention like the Boxer Rebellion or the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Therefore, the Bosnia-Herzegovina had the most moral reason to go in militarily, the Boxer Rebellion was a close second but the conflict in Veracruz, Mexico didn't have a very rational reasoning.

16 Nov. 2011. < [|http://worldatwar.abc-clio.com] >
M, Ashley, and Brian M. "Veracruz, Mexico - April-November 1914."  BuchholtzSidorAmericanStudies. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.   Veracruz%2C+Mexico%2C+1914>.

M, Brooks, and Lexie M. "Boxer Rebellion - Fall 1899-September 7, 1901:  Operation Boxer Rebellion." BuchholtzSidorAmericanStudies. N.p., n.d. Web.  11 Dec. 2011.  Boxer+rebellion%2C+1900>.

M, Micheal, and Shea S. "April 1992 - December 1995: War in Bosnia-Herzegovina."  BuchholtzSidorAmericanStudies. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.   War+in+Bosnia-Herzegovina%2C+1992-1995>. 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", attempts to use criteria to analyze the wars

Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, evidence used to support your claims

Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, overall rank is not clear

Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, compared without rationale for ranking

Organize you writing in extended power paragraphs, competently used in first two but not third paragraphs

Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, not done for all paragraphs

Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. internal citations not done for paragraph three, when done some errors; WC, first entry correct, truncate web address in the subsequent entries

Please write with an academic voice, not in the first person.

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__.

<span style="background-color: #404040; color: #ffff00; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">RUBRIC: A quality essay will <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Explain why you selected **jus ad bellum** and **jus in bello** the criteria, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Use the __four__ criteria to analyze why the three small wars are "just wars", <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Organize you writing in extended power paragraphs, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px;">Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited.

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