War And Conflict

Question 0

What is a belligerent party?

Answer 0

Warring parties

Question 1

What is war?

Answer 1

A violent, armed conflict between two or more belligerent parties

Question 2

2 decisions that have been made when a country declares war

Answer 2

• it is acceptable to risk well being of your soldiers and perhaps civilians
• it is acceptable to use violence against the enemy

Question 3

When a soldier is deployed

Answer 3

• acceptable that the soldier’s life and well being are put at risk
• acceptable for soldier to use violence

Question 4

During peacetime

Answer 4

Putting others at risk and killing is wrong

Question 5

What causes war?

Answer 5

• Extending power to grab resources (wars of offence)
• defending yourself from aggression (defensive wars)
• to secure/restore freedom (wars of independence)
• to do the same for your allies
• politics: when diplomacy doesn’t work a government uses force to achieve objectives
• it’s human nature (Thucydides)

Question 6

Why is war a moral issue?

Answer 6

Because it causes moral controversy.

Question 7

What type of ethics is war am example of?

Answer 7

Applied ethics.

Question 8

Is it ever right to wage war? “Yes, always”

Answer 8

Militarists: believe that war is always/usually the best option, believe that there’s nothing morally wrong with war

Question 9

Is it ever right to wage war? “No”

Answer 9

Pacifists: believe that all violence is morally unacceptable

Question 10

What does a contentious objector do?

Answer 10

Object on principle of conscious

Question 11

Is it ever right to wage war? “Yes, sometimes”

Answer 11

Just War Theorists: believe that some wars are acceptable under certain circumstances

Question 12

Pacifists, Militarists and Just War Theorists are…?

Answer 12

Responses to war

Question 13

What does jus ad bellum mean?

Answer 13

When is it acceptable to go to war

Question 14

What does jus in bello mean?

Answer 14

What is acceptable to do in war?

Question 15

Name the 4 jus as bellum conditions

Answer 15

1. The war must be for a just cause
2. The war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority
3. The intention behind the war must be good
4. War must be the last resort

Question 16

Name the 2 jus in bello conditions

Answer 16

1. Principle of discrimination: innocent people and non-combatants should not be harmed.
2. Principle of proportionality: the means used must be in proportion to the end that the war seeks to achieve.

Question 17

Name just causes for war

Answer 17

Defensive wars
Pre-emotive strikes
Assisting an invaded friendly nation
Human rights violation

Question 18

Name non-violent alternatives to war

Answer 18

Direct diplomatic negotiations
Independent mediators 
Appeasement 
Political pressure from other nations 
Involvement from UN 
International sanctions 
-diplomatic sanctions 
-economic sanctions 
UN approaches

Question 19

What is a diplomatic sanction?

Answer 19

Cutting off diplomatic relations with aggressive countries through the removal of diplomatic ties (eg shutting down embassies)

Question 20

What is an economic sanction?

Answer 20

Typically trade embargo, possibly limited to certain sectors such as armaments or with certain exceptions such as food and medicine

Question 21

Name some war crimes

Answer 21

Murder or ill-treatment of non-combatants/prisoners of war
Killing of hostages
Torture/inhuman treatment
Plunder of public or private property
Devastation not justified by military necessity

Question 22

UN approaches to preventing war

Answer 22

Preventive diplomacy 
Sanctions 
Arms control and disarmament 
Ceasefires
Peacemaking 
Peace plans 
Military interventions 
Peacekeeping 
Peace enforcement 
Peace building

Question 23

Define preventive diplomacy

Answer 23

UN engages in diplomatic interventions before the outbreak of conflict.

Question 24

Examples of preventive diplomacy

Answer 24

Confidence building measures
Fact-finding missions
Demilitarised zones/monitoring hot spots through the use of peacekeeping forces or surveillance