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America
and the Just War Tradition A History of U.S. Conflicts
Edited by
Mark David Hall and J. Daryl Charles
Notre Dame
(Indiana): University of Notre Dame Press, 2019 Paperback.
xvi+321 p. ISBN 978-0268105266. $35
Reviewed by Robert T. Jones US Army Command &
General Staff College Fort Gordon, Georgia
Saint Augustine of
Hippo. Thomas Aquinas. Hugo Grotius. Such historic figures are well familiar to
students of Just War theory. These names and more resonate from the pages of America
and the Just War Tradition : A History of U.S. Conflicts. This
anthology, edited by Mark David Hall and J. Daryl Charles, examines the Just
War tradition in the context of selected American wars. This edited volume
features chapters from eleven different authors representing a variety of
academic disciplines. The editors limited the scope of this work to a subset of
wars occurring since the nation’s founding in 1776. Even so, space limitations
required choices to be made. In the editor’s words, the volume covers only
“America’s major, most notable wars” [30]. The conflicts included in this book
are the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, American Civil
War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, the
Vietnam War, the Gulf Wars, and the War on Terror (including Afghanistan). The
editor’s choices were certainly not easy, given the hundreds of U.S. military
interventions large and small that have occurred in the relatively short
history of the American nation. While some might take issue with the exclusion
of certain conflicts, the wars included offer a fertile field to apply the
elements of Just War thinking and draw reasoned conclusions. The first chapter,
“The Just War Tradition and America’s Wars,” is co-written by the editors and
serves as an introduction to the main body of the book. In this chapter, the
editors establish a firm foundation for the reader’s understanding by setting
some parameters for consideration. The editors emphasize that this book
concerns the tradition of Just War and not “Just War theory,”
since this way of thinking about war and peace is embedded prominently within
the wider Western cultural heritage [4]. This tradition in the context of
Western civilization represents the accumulated wisdom of more than 2,000 years
of cultural, political, and military history. The editors note the eclectic
nature of this tradition, as including the domains of theology, philosophy,
politics, international law, and military strategy [4]. This chapter also
defines and offers examples of the three components of Just War thinking: Jus
ad Bellum (just reasons for war), Jus in Bello (just conduct during
war), and Jus post Bellum (justice after war). The editors offer a
useful analysis and discussion of all three elements. For Jus ad Bellum,
core criteria for going to war include just cause, proper authority, and right
intention [9-17]. To regulate just conduct in war, the principles of
discrimination and proportionality are the main components of Jus in Bello
[19-22]. Justice after war (Jus post Bellum) is the newest element of
Just War theory. The editors note that the past decade and a half has brought
attention to this category [24-25]. The objective of Jus post Bellum
proponents is to establish “a state or condition that is qualitatively better
than what existed previously” [25]. In other words, it is not enough to simply
win a just war, it is necessary to ensure post-war conditions minimize the
possibility of future conflict. Three conditions associated with Jus post
Bellum are the restoration of rights, victim compensation, and political
and territorial sovereignty. Thus, the three components of Just War thinking
provide the common frame of reference for the chapters that follow. The editors
close the first chapter by reflecting on the meaning of America’s wars. This
reflection is an acknowledgement that the degree to which American wars may be
judged as “just” or “unjust,” or somewhere in between, will certainly be a
matter of debate. In any event, the editors conclude that such debate will
“advance the conversation about how Americans have thought and should think
about war” [29]. The eleven chapters
that make up the main body of the volume are arranged chronologically,
beginning with the American Revolution and concluding with the War on Terror.
Each conflict is viewed within its historical context and measured against the
traditional Just War elements of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello. Where
appropriate, Jus post Bellum is also considered. Although each of the
contributing authors approaches the topic from a variety of perspectives, all
are careful to stay within the framework established by the editors. Each of
the chapter case studies stands on its own merit but a thread of continuity
ties them all together—a great strength of the book. Taken holistically, the
book offers a fair and balanced look at American successes and failures with
respect to the Just War tradition. America and the Just
War Tradition is a unique and welcome addition to the growing body of
literature on this subject. The book effectively combines the historical
context of each conflict with traditional Just War elements, enabling a more
nuanced understanding of American wars. This work successfully achieves the
editor’s stated aim to “subject the relative justness of major American
military campaigns to moral scrutiny and to do so being attentive to historical
context” [2]. This volume will be at home on the bookshelves of historians,
theologians, philosophers, scholars of Just War, and even government
professionals involved in setting policy and decision-makers at the highest
levels.
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