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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 1994 Rwandan genocide was a massacre between two races of people, taking about 800,000 lives. Although the United States did not directly get involved with peace keeping in the area, their involvement would have been just. From the jus ad Bellum criteria, interfering in Rwanda would be an example of “ correct a grave, public evil, i.e., aggression or massive violation of the basic human rights of whole populations” (Just War Criteria). This would give the effort Just Cause. Getting involved in Rwanda would also be an example of having Right Intention, since there was a “suffered wrong to be corrected”. It would also fall under distinction since American forces would be protecting those in danger. Although it could be argued that the United Sates acted in an unjust way by not helping those in Rwanda.

Pancho Villa was necessarily a war, but an just effort by the United States to force stop terrorist attacks against innocent Americans from 1916 to 1917. This just cause because terrorism is considered a public evil, especially when lives were taken and were at risk. The United States also had proportionality since there was an immediate reason to get involved.

In 1965 The United States occupied the Dominican Republic in an effort to protect the area against the powers of the USSR and Communism. The United States wanted to help prevent any places in danger of being influenced by Communism. This would give the United Sates just cause because they are are ultimately are looking out for the Dominican Republic’s best interest. The United States also had proportionality since there was a necessity for getting their military involved.

I believe that Pancho Villa was less just than the “imaginary effort” in Rwanda, since there were much more lives taken and at risk in comparison. Although Pancho Villa was more just the the occupation of the Dominican Republic because there were not necessarily “lives at risk”. I think a large chunk of just war has to do with the number of people in danger. The more people that are being protected, the more just the war.
 * RUBRIC: A quality essay will **
 * • **** Explain why you selected the two jus ad bellum and the two jus in bello the criteria, **** criteria generally identified not explained **
 * •Use the __four__ criteria to analyze why the three small wars are "just wars", **** criteria rarely used **
 * •Support your analysis of each war with evidence from the Small Wars Wiki, **** no evidence used to support your claims **
 * •Rank the three small wars and explain why one war is more just than the other two, **** sweeping claims, but little analysis **
 * •Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, **** listed, some comparison offered without evidence **
 * •Organize you writing in ** **extended power paragraphs****,** ** evidence not used, power paragraphs not used **
 * •Identify the source and establish its ** **credibility** **with an appositive phrase,** ** not done **
 * •Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. **** one internal citation WC omitted **