Ep. 373: Michael Walzer on Just Wars (Part Two)

What It Covers

Michael Walzer's just war theory examines when preemptive strikes are justified, how states should respond to threats versus aggression, and whether humanitarian intervention is permissible in cases of genocide or civil war.

Key Questions Answered

• •Preemptive Strike Criteria: Three conditions justify anticipatory attacks: manifest intent to injure, active military preparation creating positive danger, and waiting would greatly magnify risk. Israel's 1967 Six Day War met all criteria when Egypt blockaded shipping, massed troops, and formed alliances threatening existential danger.
• •Balance of Power Rejection: States cannot justify war merely to maintain regional power equilibrium. Russia's Ukraine invasion claiming NATO expansion disrupted balance fails moral scrutiny. This principle would generate endless wars since power relations constantly shift, making it impractical and unjust as justification for military action.
• •Civil War Non-Intervention: External powers should not intervene in civil wars unless supporting a legitimate preexisting government with substantial popular support. Vietnam failed this test because South Vietnam's government required constant US propping and refused promised elections, indicating lack of genuine self-determination and popular legitimacy.
• •Humanitarian Intervention Threshold: Only massacre or enslavement of substantial populations justifies intervention, not mere tyranny or rights violations. Genocide that shocks moral conscience dissolves sovereignty claims. Limited oppression, even of opposition leaders or minorities, does not meet the threshold requiring intervention from international community.
• •Counter-Intervention Permission: When one foreign power intervenes in another state's affairs, counter-intervention becomes morally permissible but not obligatory. Hungary's 1848 secession attempt justified British intervention after Russia helped Austria suppress it. However, prudential concerns about escalation and wider war legitimately constrain this permission.