Just War Theory and the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Now that I have spent four blog posts summarizing the main points in Mr. Putin, it is time to look into the ethical considerations of this book in a biblical context. In my Biblical Heritage class, we have talked many times about the idea of a just war and possible justifications for violence, especially through Saint Thomas Aquinas' Just War Theory. Aquinas' Just War theory includes guidelines for both Jus ad Bellum (right to go to war) and Jus in Bello (right conduct in war). Jus ad bellum contains seven different required elements-Just Cause, Comparative Justice, Competent Authority, Right Intention, Probability of Success, Last Resort, and Proportionality. In the next few blog posts, I will examine these factors and analyze whether or not Vladimir Putin's actions against the Ukraine hold up to the test.

Firstly, I will look into the Just Cause element. According to the Just War theory, Just Cause comes about only when there are lives at stake or in danger and must never be used to regain something or to punish a nation or group of people. It is important that an act of war is never for the purpose of a specific goal in a nation's self-interest, but rather that it only be put into action in order to establish or re-establish peace.

In the case of Putin's actions in Crimea, it is my personal belief that they do not adhere to the element of Just Cause because Putin's main reasons for invading the Ukraine include the desire for a warm water port (which is located there), the acquisition of natural resources, and the acquisition of agricultural resources. All of these reasons serve to benefit Russia in some way while offering no promise of peace or prosperity to the Ukrainian people.

Secondly, the element of Comparative Justice also proves to not be a factor in Putin's motives. Comparative Justice states that the injustices incurred by the attacker must be significantly higher and worse than those incurred by the nation being attacked. This clearly does not apply to Putin's actions because the Ukraine had not inflicted any injustice on Russia prior to the attacks. In the next few posts I will continue to analyze the other aspects of the Just War theory to see if any apply to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.