Just and unjust wars a moral argument with historical illustrations

Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-353) and index.

Part 1. The Moral Reality of War -- 1. Against "Realism" -- The Realist Argument -- The Melian Dialogue -- Strategy and Morality -- Historical Relativism -- Three Accounts of Agincourt -- 2. The Crime of War -- The Logic of War -- The Argument of Karl von Clausewitz -- The Limit of Consent -- The Tyranny of War -- General Sherman and the Burning of Atlanta -- 3. The Rules of War -- The Moral Equality of Soldiers -- The Case of Hitler's Generals -- Two Sorts of Rules -- The War Convention -- The Example of Surrender -- Part 2. The Theory of Aggression -- 4. Law and Order in International Society -- Aggression -- The Rights of Political Communities -- The Case of Alsace-Lorraine -- The Legalist Paradigm -- Unavoidable Categories -- Karl Marx and the Franco-Prussian War -- The Argument for Appeasement -- Czechoslovakia and the Munich Principle -- Finland -- 5. Anticipations -- Preventive War and the Balance of Power -- The War of the Spanish Succession -- Pre-emptive Strikes -- The Six Day War -- 6. Interventions -- Self-Determination and Self-Help -- The Argument of John Stuart Mill -- Secession -- The Hungarian Revolution -- Civil War -- The American War in Vietnam -- Humanitarian Intervention -- Cuba, 1898, and Bangladesh, 1971 -- 7. War's Ends, and the Importance of Winning -- Unconditional Surrender -- Allied Policy in World War II -- Justice in Settlements -- The Korean War -- Part 3. The War Convention -- 8. War's Means, and the Importance of Fighting Well -- Utility and Proportionality -- The Argument of Henry Sidgwick -- Human Rights -- The Rape of the Italian Women -- 9. Noncombatant Immunity and Military Necessity -- The Status of Individuals -- Naked Soldiers -- The Nature of Necessity (1) -- Submarine Warfare: The Laconia Affair -- Double Effect -- Bombardment in Korea -- The Bombing of Occupied France and the Vemork Raid -- 10. War Against Civilians: Sieges and Blockades -- Coercion and Responsibility -- The Siege of Jerusalem, 72 A.D. -- The Right to Leave -- The Siege of Leningrad -- Taking Aim and the Doctrine of Double Effect -- The British Blockade of Germany -- 11. Guerrilla War -- Resistance to Military Occupation -- A Partisan Attack -- The Rights of Guerrilla Fighters -- The Rights of Civilian Supporters -- The American "Rules of Engagement" in Vietnam -- 12. Terrorism -- The Political Code -- The Russian Populists, the IRA, and the Stern Gang -- The Vietcong Assassination Campaign -- Violence and Liberation -- Jean-Paul Sartre and the Battle of Algiers -- 13. Reprisals -- Deterrence Without Retribution -- The FFI Prisoners at Annecy -- The Problem of Peacetime Reprisals -- The Attack on Khibye and the Beirut Raid -- Part 4. Dilemmas of War -- 14. Winning and Fighting Well -- "Asinine Ethics" -- Chairman Mao and the Battle of the River Hung -- The Sliding Scale and the Argument from Extremity -- 15. Aggression and Neutrality -- The Right to Be Neutral -- The Nature of Necessity (2) -- The Rape of Belgium -- The Sliding Scale -- Winston Churchill and Norwegian Neutrality -- 16. Supreme Emergency -- The Nature of Necessity (3) -- Overriding the Rules of War -- The Decision to Bomb German Cities -- The Limits of Calculation -- Hiroshima -- 17. Nuclear Deterrence -- The Problem of Immoral Threats -- Limited Nuclear War -- The Argument of Paul Ramsey -- Part 5. The Question of Responsibility -- 18. The Crime of Aggression: Political Leaders and Citizens -- The World of Officials -- Nuremberg: "The Ministries Case" -- Democratic Responsibilities -- The American People and the Vietnam War -- 19. War Crimes: Soldiers and Their Officers -- In the Heat of Battle -- Two Accounts of Killing Prisoners -- Superior Orders -- The My Lai Massacre -- Command Responsibility -- General Bradley and the Bombing of St. Lo -- The Case of General Yamashita -- The Nature of Necessity (4) -- The Dishonoring of Arthur Harris -- Afterword: Nonviolence and the Theory of War.

"This classic work of political ethics radically reconfigured the way that we think about war. From the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai massacre, from the wars in the Balkans through the first war in Iraq, Michael Walzer examines the moral issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war. He studies a variety of conflicts over the course of history, as well as the testimony of those who have been most directly involved-participants, decision makers, and victims. In his new introduction, he specifically addresses the moral issues surrounding the war in and occupation of Iraq. In this new edition, Walzer reminds us that "the argument about war and justice is still a political and moral necessity." Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.