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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.

POST JUST WAR ESSAY HERE

Over the course of the 19th and 20th century’s the United States has been involved in several small wars. However their reasoning for getting involved in them has been questioned for decades. Were their reasons for getting involved just? The answer can be found by looking at the criteria for the terms: Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello. These both include characteristics of how to define the Just War theory. Three examples of just wars that we’ve been involved in are: Pancho Villa 1915, Spanish American War 1898, and Veracruz Mexico 1914.

The term Jus ad Bellum can be used to establish the right to go to war. The Pancho Villa War from 1912-1916 is a great example of //right intention//. This is when force should only be focused on correcting a wrong, and not for the gain of material or maintaining an economy. The U.S. Military was only sent to stop terrorist attacks on innocent American citizens. It all started on October19, 1915 when President Wilson extended de facto recognition to the Carranza government and placed an embargo on all arms shipments to anti-carrancista forces (Boot 188). In response, the followers of legendary Mexican revolutionary and outlaw, Francisco “Pancho” Villa attacked Agua Priesta, in the state of Sonora, just across the border from Douglas, Arizona on November 1, 1915 (Boot 188). According to multiple sources, Pancho’s attacks against Americans were driven by irrational hatred. This kind of anger was a major threat to the security of many innocent Americans, and could only be stopped by military intervention. Another example of a war that fits Jus ad Bellum criteria is the Spanish American War of 1898. It can be classified as //comparative justice//, because to overcome the presumption against the use of force, the injustice suffered by the other; up until April of 1898, the Spanish ruled over Cuba. They didn't take care of them and the government was corrupt. When the U.S. came in, the Cuban natives didn't fight them (Boot 132). The U.S. Army picked up the ieces after the Spanish left by giving food to the hungry, sanitizing parts of the city, buiding public schools, roads, bridges, and taking corrupt officials out of the office (Boot 132). The Army created what seemed like a "mini North America." The Cubans had suffered so much under the Spanish rule that something needed to be done. Not only did the United State gain a new trading port, but they focused more on helping the natives get back on their feet and have a better life. The Cubans loses greatly outweighed those pf the Spanish, so that is one of the reasons why America came to help them.

The term Jus in Bello is used to explain how combatants are to act pr should act. The Pancho Villa occupation of 1915 is a good example of //military necessity//. This is a type of war that uses minimum force. This principle is meant to limit excessive and unnecessary death and destruction. The U.S. Military was deployed to Mexico to non-violently capture the city and other surrounding ones to have them discontinue terrorism rather than just slaughtering all of them (Britannica). They had to take action because the attacks were harming innocent Americans in Columbus, Mexico.


 * 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", **** criteria used well 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 are clear **


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


 * •Organize you writing in ** **extended power paragraphs****,** ** except for the first paragraph, competently used **


 * •Identify the source and establish its ** **credibility** **with an appositive phrase,** ** done clearly--but I expected you to cite at least some of you classmates' research **


 * •Cite evidence __internally__ and in a Works Cited. **** internal citation mostly correct; WC omitted **