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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.

The United States participated in numerous small wars within the past century. The main controversy though is to what extent they were just wars. In order for a war to be just, it must fit the criteria for the Just War Theory. This theory consists of two categories: jus ad bellum and jus in bello. Jus ad bellum consists of a just cause, comparative justice, legitimate authority, right intention, probability of success, last resort, and proportionality. Out of the jus ad bellum criteria, just cause and last resort are the most significant. The other category, jus in bello, requires combatants to obey the principle of distinction, principle of proportionality, and principle of minimum force (or military necessity). The principle of distinction and the principle of minimum force are the two most important pieces of criteria from jus in bello. The four criteria are the most important because when analyzing many small wars, they are the most common used. All four of the most significant criteria from the Just War theory will be used to analyze how just three small wars were: Somalia, War in Bosnia- Herzegovina, and the Boxer Rebellion.

The reasons for the U.S. going to war in Somalia in 1992 were just because of jus ad bellum criteria. Just cause was obeyed because the people of Somalia were suffering and by intervening in the government, America could protect lives. Sarah Heuerman and Cat Perry, two high school students that studied the war, documented the UN’s mission: “’to feed starving people in a nation wracked by internal chaos’” (Heuerman and Perry Wiki). Not only did the conflict have a just cause, it was the U.S.’s last resort because the status Somalia was in. “the nation’s government system fell apart… [broke up into] factions…[and there were] starving people” (Heuerman and Perry Wiki). Clearly, with the lives and collapse of a nation at stake, the United States had to intervene as a last resort to stabilize Somalia. During the war, Somalia violated the principle of minimum force which limits excessive and unnecessary death and destruction. An example of this violation is that “images of a dead U.S. soldier was shown being beaten and dragged down the streets” (Heuerman and Perry Wiki). It is clear that these actions committed by Somalia were unjust, but actions performed by the United States were just since they followed the principle of distinction. After the U.S. arrived, within days “a [tripartite] firefight [broke out] between the U.S. Army Rangers, members of the elite Delta force, and forces loyal to Somali leader” (Heuerman and Perry Wiki). America only fought the enemy which was the Somali leader’s forces, showing that the U.S. participation in Somalia was just.

The jus ad bellum reasons for the U.S. being involved in the war in Bosnia- Herzegovina were just. Originally, when the Serbs were controlling the majority of Bosnia and Herzegovina and “ethnic cleansing” all the non-Serbs, the UN tried for peace. Shea Steibler and Michael Matiska, two students that studied the topic, wrote “the Untied States and other members of the Un, signed the Genocide Convention…a Human rights treaty” (Steibler and Matiska Wiki). Although murders continued forcing the U.S. to become involved, it was at least their last resort. Similarly, the reason for participating was a just cause since the Serbs were causing innocent people to die. “The Serbs…murdered non-Serbs…[and] began killing other nationalities” (Steibler and Matiska Wiki). Our involvement was to protect lives of those who were suffering which was exactly what the U.S. aimed to do when they intervened. The way the U.S. fought the war was also just. Minimum force was applied when the United States became involved because all they had to do was end the genocide and create peace so the need for military was low, and therefore kept low. “NATO entered the war they fought until negotiations were met and ended the fighting within a year” (Steibler and Matiska Wiki). This decision-making was fair and just towards the enemy, unlike the actions of the Serbs towards people of Bosnia and Herzegovina making it unjust by the principle of distinction. One of the ways the Serbs were unjust in fighting was when “Serb forces swept through much of Bosnia and Herzegovina, systematically brutalizing and expelling non-Serbs” (Steible and Matiska Wiki). These types of acts are harming civilian residential areas, which violates the principle of distinction. Overall, the U.S.’s reasons for participating were just, but some of the ways the war was fought were unjust.

United States involvement in the Boxer Rebellion had reasons that were just. The cause was just because the rebellious Chinese, the Boxers, were not accepting towards westernization and westerners, which caused death to a group of people. Lexie Morrison and Brooks Mason, two students that studied the Boxer Rebellion, wrote the Boxers “targeted foreigners, missionaries, priests, and Chinese citizens who had converted to Christianity” (Mason and Morrison Wiki). This conflict had a just cause and intervening was possibly the last resort for the United States since violence and killings had started and lives were at stake. Some countries that later formed the Eight-Nation alliance kept an eye on the Boxer but soon realized “the Boxers would stop at nothing to get rid of all the Western influence in China” (Mason and Morrison Wiki). Along with the just reasoning for war are the actions performed during the war which was also just. The U.S. fought its enemy in “the battle between the Boxers and the Eight-Nation Alliance” (Mason and Morrison Wiki). The battle is an example of obeying the principle of distinction because the U.S. fought its rebellious enemy. The principle of minimum force is shown when “the Eight-Nation alliance captured Beijing” (Mason and Morrison Wiki). The military was needed to gain civilian property to give back to the country under authority other than the Boxers. The Boxer Rebellion was just in each of the most significant criteria.

Each of the three small wars analyzed by how just they were, had their differences. The most just war was the Boxer Rebellion, followed by Somalia, then the War in Bosnia- Herzegovina. The Boxer Rebellion fit each of the most significant criteria for the Just War Theory because it had a just cause, obeyed the principles of distinction and minimum forces, and was most likely last resort. Somalia and the War in Bosnia- Herzegovina were very similar to the extent at which they were just wars. Somalia was a more just war than the War in Bosnia- Herzegovina because the last resort was a higher risk. Somalia was already broken into factions and without a government so it would have been very simple for the nation to collapse altogether. Both of them were under the Boxer Rebellion because the principle of distinction was violated in Somalia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina and nothing was violated in the Boxer rebellion from the selected criteria analyzed.

Works Cited:

Heuerman, Sarah, and Cat Perry. "Somalia: Sarah Heuerman and Cat Perry Dec 1992 to March 1994; Operation Restore Hope." Web log post. // Buchholtz Sidor American Studies //. Web. Dec. 2011.

Mason, Brooks, and Lexie Morrison. "Boxer Rebellion-Fall 1899-September 7, 1901: Operation Boxer Rebellion Brooks M. & Lexie M." Web log post. // Buchholtz Sidor American Studies //. Web. Dec. 2011.

Steibler, Shea, and Michael Matiska. "April 1992 - December 1995: War in Bosnia-Herzegovina Michael M and Shea S." Web log post. // Buchholtz Sidor American Studies //. Web. Dec. 2011.


 * 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 explained **


 * •Use the __four__ criteria to analyze why the three small wars are "just wars", **** criteria effectively used to analyze the wars **


 * •Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, **** compelling evidence selected and used to support claims **


 * •Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, **** evidence and reasoning is insightful **


 * •Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, **** in-depth comparison made **


 * •Organize you writing in ** **extended power paragraphs****,** ** competently used **


 * •Identify the source and establish its ** **credibility** **with an appositive phrase,** ** done clearly **


 * •Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. **** internal citation mostly correct; WC has some minor errors--truncate web address after .com **