In this book Uwe Steinhoff describes and explains the basic tenets of just war theory and gives a precise, succinct and highly critical account of its present status and of the most important and controversial current debates surrounding it. Rejecting certain in effect medieval assumptions of traditional just war theory and advancing a liberal outlook, Steinhoff argues that every single individual is a legitimate authority and has under certain circumstances the right to declare war on others or the state. He also argues that the just cause cannot be established independently of the other criteria of jus ad bellum (the justification of entering a war), except for right intention, which he interprets more leniently than the tradition does. Turning to jus in bello (which governs the conduct of a war) he criticises the Doctrine of Double Effect and concludes that insofar as wars kill innocents, and be it as "collateral damage", they cannot be just but at best justified as the lesser evil. Steinhoff gives particular attention to the question why soldiers, allegedly, are legitimate targets and civilians not. Discussing four approaches to the explanation of the difference he argues that the four principles underlying them all need to be taken into account and outlines how their weighing can proceed if applied to concrete cases. The resulting approach does not square the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate targets with the distinction between soldiers and civilians, which has extremely important consequences for the conduct of war. Finally, Steinhoff analyses the concept of terrorism and argues that some forms of "terrorism" are actually no terrorism at all and that even terrorism proper can under certain circumstances be justified. This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.

About the Author
Uwe Steinhoff, studied philosophy, psychology and politics in Frankfurt a.M., Berlin and Wurzburg. He is the author of Kritik der kommunikativen Rationalitat: Eine Darstellung und Kritik der kommunikationstheoretischen Philosophie von Jurgen Habermas und Karl-Otto Apel and of Effiziente Ethik: UEber Rationalitat, Selbsterschaffung, Politik und Postmoderne as well as of articles on ethics, political philosophy, epistemology and postmodernism. He is is a Research Associate in the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War and an Affiliated Researcher at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.

Reviews
[Steinhoff provides] a sustained and fascinating development of a precise philosophical argument [with] admirable philosophical balance. * -Richard English, University of Aberystwyth (Terrorism and Political Violence 22(1), 120-124) *
Intriguing and timely * - Howard Williams, Queens University (Contemporary Political Theory 10, 504-506.) *
In his chosen role of philosophe provocateur, [Steinhoff] presents a sustained position buttressed by enthusiastic critiques of conventional views and unblinking pursuit of the logic of the alternatives. Especially for students of philosophy, this book will be a useful provocation, and much of what is said is well taken. * Henry Shue, Merton College, Oxford (Survival, 50(2), 185-192) *
Steinhoff has written a remarkably different, painfully dense, and hugely intelligent book. * Michael Neu, University of Sheffield (Cambridge Review of International Affairs 22(3), 541-554) *
This powerfully challenging book is sure to provoke controversy and stimulate debate. * Jeff McMahan, Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199217373
Author Uwe Steinhoff
Format Hardback
Page Count 172
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 362g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 144mm * 15mm