5 Rules of a Just War.
For a war to be just, these rules must be followed.
The First Rule
The first rule to a just war is that the war must be started and controlled by the state and or/its ruler, such as a king. This can also be called the 'legitimate ruling authority'. An example of this theory would be for instance if the a country were to go to war with another country, it must be the government that decides as they are the legitimate ruling authority, they have total control over the war.
The Second Rule
The second rule to a just war is that there must be a just reason for the conflict with a chance of winning. An example of this would be this would be war in defense or aggression and attack. For instance the allies in World War 2 believed that defending countries from attacks by the Japanese and the Germans was a just reason for war.
The Third Rule
The third rule to a just war is that the war must be the last resort after all other options have been used, and if it is decided to go to war, there must be a significant chance at success. Again a good example of this is World War 2, the allies believed that they had attempted all means of negotiation and that the only option left was to go to war.
The Fourth Rule
The fourth rule to a just war is that the war must promote good in a means to overcome evil. Peace and justice must be restored quickly. Again, using World War 2 as an example, the allies believed that Adolf Hitler was the ultimate evil who intended to create a super race, so they went to war to rid the world of evil so they could restore peace.
The Fifth Rule
The fifth rule to a just war is proportionality, only enough force should be used as it is absolutely necessary to achieve piece, through this force innocent people such as civilians should not be harmed in any way. In reality there hasn't been wars were innocents have not been harmed, either way it happens, accidentally or on purpose.