war is not justified essay

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A Discussion of When War Can Be Justified

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Published: Mar 28, 2019

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Introduction: is war ever justified, reasons of war: justifiable and non-justifiable, works cited.

• Rickaby, J. (1892). The Ethics of War. Longmans, Green, and Co.
• Walzer, M. (2006). Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. Basic Books.
• Orend, B. (2005). War and International Justice: A Kantian Perspective. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
• McMahan, J. (2009). Killing in War. Oxford University Press.
• Rodin, D. (2002). War and Self-Defense. Oxford University Press.
• Walzer, M. (2015). On Just and Unjust Wars: Revised Edition (2nd ed.). Basic Books.
• Johnson, J. T., & Snider, T. L. (2014). Just War and Terrorism: The End of a Myth. IVP Academic.
• Fabre, C. (2008). Cosmopolitan War. Oxford University Press.
• McMahan, J. (2010). Killing in War: Revised Edition. Oxford University Press.
• Woods, N. (2011). The Ethics of War: Shared Problems in Different Traditions. Ashgate Publishing.

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War can never be justified, discuss Argumentative Essay

War can never be justified. Discuss War. One of the most destructive and futile thing on our planet, yet the ambition of war is usually to find peace is it not? Battle tends to start over the love of power; William Gladstone once said “We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.” So therefore is it not correctly speaking by saying that war is needed in order to destroy the love of power that creates such emotions to fight and finally show our world peace? In the eyes of many people there is a justification for a war of defence, none for a war of aggression. But under what terms can you define what the intention for the final outcome is to be known as? How can we ever conclude that some particular wars may be more moral than another? The past is all we have to learn from. With new generations living in a world where developed countries live in peace and the young are free to grow up in freedom with an education, health care and human rights.

This is the generation of money rich countries, such as England that do not see, nor feel the effects of war. Instead it appears in the developing world, where with one glance around you can see children from around the age of 14 years and younger famished, undernourished and anorexic with no one to care, love or even say it will be all right. Children are dependent on the care, empathy, and attention of adults who love them. The war brings Impacts to their childhood, children find themselves without any education during the war as their right of learning is lost, those children who are lucky enough to be found by their government are forced to move into refugee or displaced person camps, where they wait for years in miserable circumstances for normal life to resume, if it ever does, and to them that’s a life line, to us in a developed world with no life experience after being protected in warm loving homes’ our whole lives its seems like a living hell, and those who have seen it know it’s worse. But those unlucky ones are the ones with disabilities that the war forces into the darkness, And what about a little girl, most are forced into prostitution just keep themselves alive, ethical downfall to this is she will then in the eyes of god and her society lose the opportunity to marry as she is not pure. Long after the war has ended, these lives will never attain the potential they had before the impact of war. Why is it that listing the effects war has on children is so easy?

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Injury, disability and illness. Rape, prostitution, psychological and moral impacts. Social and cultural losses. Children may lose their community and its culture during war once again destroying another followed by another. But I think the worst impact that children take in the war is when they are put in the front line. It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of young people under 18 serving in militias in about 60 countries. War is a choice for someone who has lived, not for a being that had just been blessed with life.

Displacing the innocent, while the guilty take comfort in their destruction of the world around them and of those unknown to them as families are ripped apart, whether temporary or indefinitely. Women are forced to leave behind both husbands and sons. Burdening the infrastructure of the towns and cities to which they are displaced. Consequently, those men bold and brave who turn into soldiers then heroes, bring back unforgettable memories to which their hearts dismay, as not only are battles won, but lives are lost. The images they retain in their memory haunt them for all the years that follow, Tim O’Brien scripted the images scarred in his memory ‘Ambush’ a tale of a man who is ashamed of his actions, and will forever live in guilt.

No matter how hard he tries to forget it, it will always be there; lingering in the back of his mind from the moment the incident first took place to when he returned home to his little girl in which the story is told to, knowing that her father writes war stories, she asks him if he has ever killed anyone. Tim replies “no” until he knew she was old enough to finally hear the story and understand his actions. He could have let the man pass unharmed and that there was no real danger, but the harsh world of war tricks the mind into thinking everyone’s your enemy. “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” (George Orwell), A high percentage of soldiers are being shouted in the face with discriminating comments to which it feels like they are being looked down upon in their countries society for doing a duty for another nation, but this does not mean that their nationality is lost. They stick with the same colours that lay on their flag; because it’s the colours that dominate the rest is “just a piece of cloth that brings a nation to its knees” (John Agard ‘Flag’) When is war ever justifiable? The easy answer would be if it was started in self defensive, however, is it wrong to say its morally wrong to fight over your freedom and equality? So surely a war started over ethical issues is justified too? War would protect the lives of many civilians such as the UK fighting in Afghanistan will help prevent terrorist attacks. ‘Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience’ (The Dalai Lama)

It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace. – Andre Gide But are the negative effect of war is smaller than the effect of not going to war?

Pros (war can never be justified) What would you die for? Your friends and family? Endless supply of clean water for the world? Or to end a war? Is anything truly worth dying for? However this can only be hypothetical speaking as even if you did die, you wouldn’t be able to solve world peace, but besides sacrificing yourself, is there anything you would kill for? The idea that the violence we perpetrate may not be justified has become one hell of a sore spot in the modern consciousness. The lead-up to the 2003 war in Iraq was plagued by questions of justification, and is still haunted by them today. After all, Baghdad is now the most dangerous city in the world. The Iraq Family Health Survey has shown an increase in the percentage of violent deaths in Iraq between the years 2002 and 2006 from 10.5% before the invasion to 23.2% after the invasion. The modern day war in Iraq is an example of a present day war to which human rights groups from U.S and U.K both struggle to find a justification for it.

Iraq (We’re in the wrong country. We should have gone into Iran or Syria.)

WW1 (Sheer, tragic stupidity. Those responsible for this war and the monstrous Treaty of Versailles

(ending?) The closest you can get to the problems of modern conflict is journalists that risk their own lives in the conflict zone to bring us the breaking news. “There is no reason to give yourself up anymore.” The humiliations and torture practiced in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay have brought fates worse than death back into the centre of conflict, and it is no longer just the other side who look like the bad guys. “Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too”~John Lennon We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living. – General Omar Bradley

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Reasons why Bombing Japan was not justified Essay

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Introduction

Works cited.

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still one of the most controversial happenings in recent history. Historians have passionately debated whether the bombings were essential, the effect that they had in ending the war in the Pacific Region, and what other alternatives were on hand for the United States.

These very same questions were also debatable during that time, as American decision makers deliberated on how to put to use powerful new technology and what the long-term impact of atomic weaponry would be on the Japanese (Hasegawa 96). This essay presents a debate on reasons why the U.S. was not justified in using the atomic bomb on Japan.

Most historians who have been taking part in the debate on how World War II ended have based much of their focus on why the U.S. decided to drop the atomic bomb. Despite the much emphasis placed on this matter, there has been little attention directed on the role played by the Japanese in ending the war.

Even less information is available on soviet-decision-making and their joining the war against Japan. One of the major obstacles, which were overcome only recently, was the absence of a historian who was fluent in English, Japanese and Russian to enable him to examine the major materials, which included government, military, and intelligence memos and reports in all the three languages. This explains in part why most of the available literature on the subject only touches on the American side of the story.

One of the reasons why bombing Japan was not justified is because America had other options, which they could have used to compel Japan to surrender. In his 2005 milestone study titled Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan , historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa critically examines the threefold wartime relationship between America, Japan, and the Soviet Union.

What comes out from this careful study is the fact that America had other options that they could have pursued instead of the bombings but which they chose to ignore. According to Hasegawa (100), the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had indicated to America that he would attack Japan on 15 August 1945.

This meant that America had up to 15 th August to force Japan to surrender in order to prevent the Soviet union from joining the war something that would make Truman and his government to appear weak. Contrary to the claim that Americans used the bomb as a last resort, Hasegawa disagrees and claims that the early August date was chosen to counter the Soviets’ impeding attack in order to prevent them from joining the war.

In fact, the diligent research done by Hasegawa dispels the notion that the bombings weakened Japan’s position thus leading to their surrender.

According to the historian, the myth that the bombings weakened Japan’s will to fight and that they saved both Japanese and American soldiers is only meant to justify Truman’s decision and help in easing the conscience of the American people. According to Hasegawa, this myth lacks any historical backing since there is enough evidence to show that there were other alternatives besides the use of the bombs but Truman and his administration chose to ignore them.

Historians claim that Truman’s main worry was that allowing Stalin to enter the war would be an important strategic gain for him and this would pose a big threat to American interests in the region. With a deadline to beat, the only option that remained for Truman and his administration was to use the atomic bomb (Hasegawa 101).

Although Japan had not yet given a public indication that it intended to surrender, insiders knew that the country could not continue with the war and surrender was imminent.

This admission is contained in intelligence reports showing that Truman was privy to information that Japan had abandoned its goal of victory and was instead planning on how to harmonize its national pride with losing the war. With this kind of information, it is clear that America had no justification whatsoever to use the bombs since it was only a matter of time before the Japanese admitted defeat.

The second reason that makes the American bombing unjustified is the deeply flawed casualty claims. As it is, the exact number of Allied and Japanese lives that were likely to be lost during the intended invasion remains unknown. However, it is evident that those who supported the bombing have escalated the prediction of those who could have died from the earlier prediction of 45,000 given by the U.S. War Department.

Ten years after the bombings, Truman claimed that George Marshall feared losing close to a half million soldiers if the war was not brought to an abrupt close. This contradicted the claims by Stimson the Secretary of War who two years after the war had claimed that over a million people were dead, wounded, or missing.

In a 1991 address to congress, George Bush claimed that Truman’s decision to drop the bomb ‘spared’ millions of American lives. Four years after the claims by Bush, a crewmember of Bock’s car, the plane that dropped one of the bombs stated that the bombing preserved the lives of over six million people.

Over the years, historians have provided evidence to show that the casualty figures offered by Truman and his bombing supporters were seriously flawed. One historian claimed that the people who supported the high casualty claims relied upon strained readings and omitted crucial material, which in effect limited their research and cast a shadow of doubt on their findings.

Hasegawa and other anti-bombing historians did not refute the claim that Truman was concerned at the possibility of America losing many lives during the invasion, but the projected numbers were way below the exaggerated figures provided after the war to rationalize the bombings.

Such inflated figures, along with Japan’s presumed rejection of surrendering is usually a part of the debate on why the atomic bombs were necessary but from the proffered evidence, these claims are highly questionable.

Another reason to prove that the bombing was not justified is derived from looking at the real reasons why Japan surrendered. According to political analysts, postwar interviews with numerous Japanese military and civilian leaders showed that Japan could have given in before November 1, which is the date that the U.S. had planned to invade the country.

This was not because Japan was afraid of atomic bombs or the impeding Soviet entry but because they had no reason to continue fighting in a war, which they were certain to lose. This conclusion definitely supports the view that the bombings were not in any way necessary to end the war and their use was therefore unjustified.

Historians project that given the huge impact that the Soviet entry into the war and the air-naval blockade imposed by the Allied forces, there is high possibility that Japan would have surrendered before any invasion since its resources to support the war had dwindled. Historians question why Truman was not willing to avoid the costly invasion of Japan by allowing the Soviet entry instead of dropping the bombs.

The question of Truman and his administration not knowing about Japan’s intention to surrender does not arise since historians have discovered records showing that Truman was in possession of intercepted and decoded Japanese intelligence communication, which showed their willingness to surrender.

As Hasegawa (110) rightly put it, if Truman and his ilk really wanted to desist from using the atomic bomb as it was claimed after the war, then why was the intelligence reports in the intercepted cables ignored? According to the historian, stressing the decisive role of the atomic bombs in ending the war was meant to weaken the importance of soviet entry into the war thus making inconsequential the Soviet role in ending the war. This was meant to display the super weapon that was only possessed by the United States.

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) is still one of the most debated topics in modern history. According to most historians, the bombings were unjustified because there were other available options to end the war but they were ignored.

Contrary to the claim that Americans used the bomb as a last resort, most historians disagree and claim that the early August date was chosen to counter the Soviets’ impeding attack on August 15 1945. This ensured that America got the credit for ending the war.

Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan . Harvard University Press, 2005. 89-112. Print.

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Is War Ever Justified? (Essay Sample)

Is war ever justified.

Many wars have taken place since ages as far back in the bible making war part of the society. Many people believe that wars are necessary, especially in situations where all diplomatic methods have been exhausted. In my view, war is not justified because many people use war as an excuse to further their interests. Whenever external forces become a threat, most leaders resort to war as a way to suppress the opposition. That is why leaders are quick to justify their action of going to war because they consider war necessary to fulfill their greed.  War is not justified because of its aftermath; wars cause death, destruction, loss, strained relationships, and suffering.

One of the severe consequences of war is the loss of innocent civilians’ lives that cannot be replaced.  Frequent wars eradicates hopes and dreams of many people, destroying their homeland and making people live in constant fear of being attacked. Fighting in the name of bringing peace cannot be justified because it contradicts the meaning of peace itself. Even though some people believe that under exceptional circumstances, war is justified. I do believe that negotiations can also be used in these exceptional circumstances to prevent war in the first place. The most common argument is that war is acceptable when it is in self-defense or when liberating citizens from an oppressive regime. If only war can save more people than killing them, then war can be justified.

Looking back at two major world wars the First World War and the Second World War that prolonged for four years more than 40 countries participated in the war and both wars resulted in over 37 million casualties with properties being damaged. Scholars justify war using the principle of utilitarianism; they believe that war will improve the lives of many people, however, in reality; many innocent citizens are the ones who die. Selective killing cannot be achieved especially by using modern equipment; most people go to war to win not to lose. Therefore, they will use all the lethal weapons like bombs that will affect innocent people like in the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The outcome of any war is destruction that includes people, habitat, infrastructure, livelihoods, and relationships. War has never promoted any good virtues like prosperity, harmony or tolerance. Those who survive are not safe either, and war cannot bring back the dead. We should not cling to the common myth that war can fix anything, taking away innocent lives and restoring property is not justice.

Countries should embrace alternative ways like negotiations than engaging in war. We should all know that human lives are too precious to be measured by personal agendas. If we cannot prevent wars, we do not have the morals to justify war itself. The real solution is not war, but war seems to be the easiest solution. There are better and sustainable solutions for resolving conflicts than engaging in war. Making sacrifices and compromises and talking about our differences without shading innocent blood are some of the better options. War is not a good entry for peace building, for any war to be justified there should be some degree of morality in which the wars are fought. Fighting with dignity includes treating our enemy well during and after the battle, treating war prisoners humanely and not targeting innocent people, which in this case is not possible.  I do believe that war is not justified at all and it is not necessary. Nobody has the right to kill people in the name of restoring peace or protecting it s citizens from potential threat.

Is war ever Justified 1 Pages 360 Words

             Life has many amazing things to offer. Life presents us to things such as feelings, people, events, and at last death. Being alive means having the opportunity to learn, to love, to hurt, to feel unhappiness and joy. Life teaches us many good things throughout the years, however as great as life can be, it can also be very painful, destroying and even unfair.              Just as we have love, we also have hatred. We have people in the world who are jealous for one reason or another. People who are jealous of other people or/and their countries. In this case I'm talking about the United States. Because the United States has a good army, good governments and economy, other countries envy it. They start hating for not much reason and sooner or later they try starting a war. War is a horrible fight that is fought among countries; it kills thousands, and thousands, even millions of people. War is a frightening event that occurs through out life.              People go into war for countless reasons; however power is a main factor of war. Wanting to have more power and not wanting to share it becomes a terrible problem. Some people are greedy and selfish and just simply want more and more of it.              Whatever the reason might be, I think war is something we should try to avoid if possible. If it's not necessary to kill millions of innocent people, then why do it? There can always be a way of compromising. Personally, I think that war is not justified. I agree, that sometimes you are forced to do things you might not want to do, however, I don't think that it makes war acceptable. I don't think that killing millions of innocent children, and people is necessary. Some people think war is justified because, they think that that is the only solution , I think they're wrong because rather than war being the only solution my opinion is that war is the easy way out. Compromising and discussing their different points of views. Can always be a              ...

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