The War on Terror by Providing an In-Depth Analysis of the Different Ethical Perspective - Literature review Example

Introduction An International Relations article entitled ‘Is the War on Terror Just’ published last September 2005 is authored by the peace and conflict professor of University of Queensland Alex J. Bellamy. The article inquired into the ethical issues on war on terror by providing an in-depth analysis of the different ethical perspective and calling for the Just War tradition being the appropriate test to use in evaluating the issue of morality of war against terrorism as initiated by the Bush Administration and the US’ close allies in response to the 11 September 2001 attack on World Trade Center. This critique will show how coherent and logical are the ideas presented in the article; the balance in the arguments as laid down; the wide application of political theories throughout the discussion; the rich supply of case studies and relevant correlation to concepts presented to illustrate the authority of points being articulated; and lastly, how an easy read the article is written for enthusiasts to grasp the ideas. Coherent and Logical Presentation of Ideas Written in a coherent and logical manner, the idea proposed on Just War was clearly initiated, well developed and conclusively rounded as per the purpose of the author. Justification on the war on terror is readily identified as the point of discussion from the title alone. It is easily discernable that the article expounds on ethical and moral aspect of the war against terrorism with Just War tradition being proposed as the appropriate test to verify the morality of any armed action against terrorists [Bel05]. The article laid down the groundwork for the appropriate test to justify the war on terror. The identifying and differentiating the well recognized ethical perspectives of war, Realism, Pacifism and Just War traditions [San02]. Adequate discussions on the three ethical traditions of war are provided with separate sections. Culminating the comparison by pointing out the advantages of the Just War tradition had provided a link for an in depth treatment of war, terrorism and morality. The discussion further developed into a full blown analysis of Just War and political responsibility in the realms of mores and natural law adherence in relation to the development of international relations [Ore05]. In closing, the author reiterated the major points for each of the arguments presented, giving a well rounded tapestry of idea presentation. Balanced Arguments Arguments are presented in such a balanced manner that adequate discussion of each opposing points are clearly discussed. Achieved at the start by using the ethical spectrum to investigate how just waging war against terrorism can be, ethical perspectives from both ends are presented laying down the merits as well as criticism for each. The adequate treatment given on each perspective provided a balanced development of the discussion toward the author’s point of adherence on the Just War tradition. Additionally arguments are observed to be reasonable as qualifications are provided to accommodate some aspects of the concept in relation to the discussion as well as parameter limitation. As an example, ‘terrorism’ is aptly qualified by the author. It is widely known that there is no internationally accepted definition (Baker, 2002). This is the reason why great caution is applied in labeling terrorist activities as unjust or immoral, taking into consideration that in law on armed conflict, attack on non-combatants is the lone criteria by which an action is considered unjust or immoral. Also, both theoretical and historical aspect of the arguments for the Just War theory is well infused by the author, this course is a known standard in giving a balance treatment to the arguments recognized for the said theory (Moseley, 2009). Indeed, the article being somewhat a position paper in nature is not devoid of biases. The biases of the author however did not hamper him from providing all the ideas from different angle, thus in totality balanced is achieved not only in the arguments but in the presentation of ideas posted. Political Theories Application The application of political theories is quiet extensive in this article. From the mentions of Greek political customs and the Athenian deviations from it, to the Roman and Christianity’s Just War foundation, up to the modern international relation policy as laid down formally in the Geneva Conventions, the article is a clear example of a scholarly publication integrating a wider spectrum of political theories from ancient times down to the present (Bellamy, 2005). The article however gave caution on the applicability of these theories, as much as the civilization had already evolved from the invade and conquer mindset of the ancient times to the doctrine of equality of sovereign powers of the modern era. Case Studies in lieu of Statistics Understandably there is no mention of statistics to which the arguments of the author is anchored upon. It is not necessary to include any statistical data as the concepts discussed in the article are not measurable. Instead, the author provides for examples or case studies to use in correlating ideas to real life application. Cases pointed out in the article include justification of the Nazis attack of the city of Coventry, the Occupation of Iraq and the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and some others (Bellamy, 2005). These case analyses may not be as mathematically accurate as what an appropriate statistical report may provide, however the former can serve as suitable substitute given the parameters provided by the inquiry. Language of the Article Lastly, the article is neither complex nor plainly written. The language the author used is apt for both students and practitioners of foreign relations and international laws, including enthusiast of world politics. Appropriate use of international law jargon provides the needed technicality of an article, and therefore lends authority to the same being a scholarly published article. However the medium to which the author conveys his ideas is one that is very light to the mind and can be easily grasp. Readers need not analyze further the points being driven at by the author as they come simply literal as written. Conclusion In conclusion, the article written by Mr. Bellamy is a scholarly investigation to which enthusiasts of international relations and international law can look upon and cite for an extensive discussion of the Just War test to evaluate and war on terror activities. The article provides a coherent and logical development of ideas, applying a wider range of political theories, and further re-enforced by the balance in the presentation of arguments, supported with case studies for correlation, all written in a simple, easy to grasp medium of conveyance of ideas. References Bel05: , (Bellamy, 2005), San02: , (Santurri, 2002), Ore05: , (Orend, 2005), Read More