Arat+I.+-+Just+War

Home Small Wars Project Just Wars Essays

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 most import criteria of a Just War are Just Cause, Legitimate Authority (Jus ad Bellum), Distinction, and Military Necessity (Jus in Bello) and three small can be justified buy these. The Tanker War in 1987- 1988 Iran(One of the United States' main oil suppliers) believed that Iraq was spying on them and that they would start a revolution on them (Bella Mayrer, and Blaine Furey). The U.S. interfered with this issue because if there was a threat, that would put in danger their "...national interests" (Carter Doctrine). This intervention could potentially hurt those innocent lives who live in Iran as well as threaten "property" (Just Cause), also George H. W. Bush had made the decision to intervene (Legitimate Authority) therefore making it enough reason to go into this small war (Jus ad Bellum Criteria). The U.S. had fought along with Iran against Iraq directly (Distinction) and there was little damage done to those innocent civilians (Military Necessity) making it fair small war as well (Jus in Bello Criteria). This small war fits the requirements sufficiently to make it a Just War, also "the most just". **  ** A less just war but just would be the war in Veracruz, Mexico in November 1914. This war was between the U.S. against Victoriano Huerta. Victoriano had attempted to abolish a contract with us allowing Mexico use the oil in the ports of Tampico and Veracruz (Ashley M and Brian M). Since it lasted three days, fortunately, innocent lives were hardly harmed and only 19 soldiers were killed and it was directly to the enemy and not hurting civilians (Distinction and Military Necessity) and this bit makes it fit the criteria of Jus in Bello. President Wilson demanded an apology from Huerta and because he refused and almost supported Germany with loaded arms and ammunition potentially harming America which both are justified in the Just Cause, and Legitimate Authority sections of the Jus ad Bellum. This all justifies that the war was a Just War but not as much as The tanker War for that war had more straight forward and harmful potential threats. **  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"> **Finally for the last war that was not "just" at all would be the Second Iraq War in 2002-2011. This war was against Iraq supposedly to protect from threats. George W. Bush had demanded the war to protect from threats to the U.S. because he believed that the Iraqi were making weapons of mass destruction potentially harming the innocent lives in America. These two reasons do fall under Legitimate Authority and Just Cause sections of the Jus ad Bellum criteria but the reason over the WMD were just accusations that were eventually proven untrue. Also in incredibly high amounts, innocent lives were harmed and lost as well as the fact that the direct enemy was not directly eliminated for the very fact of man people getting killed for no good reason. This does NOT fall under the section of Jus in Bello. Therefore because the reasons for Jus ad Bellum were not accurate and therefore not reason enough and and there was no justification under Jus in Bello and this does not make this war a "Just War".** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px;"> //Tanker+War%2C+1987-1988>.//
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, evidence and reasoning is not always clear--particularly for Tanker War

Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, <span style="color: #ff000c; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">listed without rationale

Organize you writing in extended power paragraphs, not all paragraphs are organized this way

Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, not done for all 3 wars

Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. internal citations, some errors; WC correct, but omit web address

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