international conflict elements of a just war (i) jus ad bellum - the right to make war

International Conflict

Elements of a Just War

(i) Jus ad bellum - the right to make war

• Just Cause

• Cause must be proportionate

• Right Intention

• Authorisation by an appropriate authority

• Reasonable prospect of success

• A last resort


Elements of a Just War

(ii) Jus in bellum - justice in the conduct of war

• Discrimination - no attacking of the innocent

• Proportionality - the minimum necessary force

• Winnable???


Study Design

Preamble (implications)

• Causes and nature of post cold-war conflict

• Global terrorism and its responses

• Nationalist, religious, economic or ethnic tensions came together at the Sept.11 terrorist attacks on the US.

• US as main superpower; China and India emerging.

•Tensions between the EU and US.


Exam Aspects

• Study Design

• Essay Question - 2008 essay will be on conflict.

• You will need to have a thorough understanding of ‘terrorism’ and the war on terror in relation to the general issue of conflict - Its causes, nature and effects.

• The war on terror will be the focal point for this term.


Main Dot Points

• Outcome 2 - to analyse and evaluate the nature of post cold war conflict.

• Causes and nature of armed conflict in the PCW

• global terrorism - definitions of terrorism, and state and non-state based terror

•Causes and effects of international terrorism

•US power: extent nd limitations

•Success/failure of states and groups in the PCW


Analyse and evaluate the nature of international terrorism in PCW

• Definitions of terrorism including state and non-state terrorism

• Nature: what is international terrorism and what form(s) does it take

• What causes are championed by international terrorist ‘movement’ or phenomena?

• What effects have they had?

• US power: extent and limitations

•Success/failure


Implications of study design

• Need for comprehensive and broad coverage of the nature of conflict, and particularly the war against terror in the PCWW

• Coverage is not just terrorism, but

• International conflict since the end of the cold war

• Terrorism as an example of international conflict

• Bracket terrorism and the subsequent war on terror as a major component of PCW conflict


General contexts

• Terrorism - problem of definition, origin, nature, types

• Islamist background

• US foreign policy

• Relationship to globalisation, including global information networks, media systems, economic structure and funding.

• The subsequent war on terror becomes far more complex and complicated in this context.


The essay component of the exam

Possible type of question

• Focus will probably be general - expect a general prompt.

• Discuss (turn the question around) so that you can focus on the conflict you have chosen.

• Consider:

• Causes

• Nature of conflict

•Progress/effects of the war

• Possibly offered 3 questions

• Show an understanding for both sides of issue

•Critically analyse & evaluate



Be Balanced…

YOU MUST AVOID!!!

Knee-jerk Islamaphobia &

Anti-Americanism



Pay attention to the context of the question.

Two contexts are appropriate:

1. Broad context of developing trends within Islamic societies:

• Previous centuries

• Since Iranian revolution

• Issues facing Islamic identity - globally and internally.



Pay attention to the context of the question.

Two contexts are appropriate:

2. US power and foreign policy - since at least the end of the cold war (1990-1991).



It is important to define the topic carefully

• Need to be careful relating ‘terror’ to ‘conflict’. (Bracket terrorism within the broader topic of global conflict in the PCWW).

• Should focus on ‘terror’ as an aspect of ‘conflict’ or ‘US response to terror’

• ie: if ‘war on terror’:

• Terror becomes a ‘given’ and less problematic

• Focuses more on the US.

(If terror, or Islamist terror, then US/Western response simply an unreflective response).



Problem of appropriate definition of the topic

• Specific problems of US ‘war on terror’

• War on terror is multifaceted and complex

• ‘Iraq war’ - is this part of the war on terrror? (There were no WMD found, or any evidence to justify US claims about Iraq being a state sponsoring terror against the West). Therefore, the Iraq war must be seen within a broader context of US foreign policy and the need to secure resources.

• Many/most would say that the Iraq war is related to US foreign policy - particularly in regard to securing access to oil resources.



Best way of dealing with these problems - BROAD COVERAGE

• Background - for understanding

• Issues of conflict - general understanding of how conflicts develop and occur

• How these general factors have come into play in a specific example

• The context of Islamic radicalism and mobilisation

• US power and FP since the end of the cold war

• Globalisation - islamist terror and US policy in regards to globalisation



Best way of dealing with these problems - BROAD COVERAGE

• Short term origins of Islamist terror

• Afghanistan under soviet invasion

• Al Qaida

• Contemporary Islamist issues - global and national

• Sept 11 and US response

• Afghan War

• Iraq war



The problem of State Terrorism• The Study Design assumes that this is a clearly defined category: in

reality, more problematic and uncertain

• Is it state terrorism when a government:

1. Attacks another country - including civilians? (Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon). No! Unless it:

• (a) deliberately targets civilians who it knows are not Hezbollah. (Then what about Dresdan and Hiroshima)?

• (b) Has specific aims of intimidation.



The problem of State Terrorism


2. Uses instruments of govt. (e.g. militia) to intimidate civilians?

* Yes! Probably the least controversial and best example.

* Zimbabwe, Indonesia in Aceh and East Timor,





3. Assassinates opposing political leaders outside its nation?

* (Israel targeting PLO or Hezbollah leaders).

* No! Unless civilians are killed and this was known about in advance. (E.g. bombing an apartment building in the hope that a PLO leader is inside).





4. Uses murder, illegal arrests torture etc. against its own citizens? (e.g. Zimbabwe, Pinochet in Chile)

* Yes! But its not international terrorism, but internal.



War on Terror… too broad to provide a satisfactory focus?

• In last year’s exam, students tended to make assumptions on origins and nature of terrorism.

• Students lost marks for making unsustainable assumptions such as:

• Terrorism is ‘evil’ and needs no explanation

• US response is justified and legitimate.

• US claims ‘jus ad bellum’ for its war in Iraq due to its prosecution of a war against terrorism. But is it? WOT is very complex and multifaceted.


Elements of US War on Terror

Investig-ation of Sept. 11

Home-land

Security Issues

Inter-national Security Issues

Attack on Afghanistan & Taliban

Attack on Iraq and Hussein

Arrest of perpetrators

General Security

Civil rights of suspects

Pakistan

Monitor-ing

Islamist groups

Central Asia

Middle East

Israel

Additional problems

Regional terrorist groups

Increas-ing

influence on Iraqi Shi’Ites

Nuclear threshold

Hostility to US

Iran

Airline Safety

etc:

Guantanamo Bay

Home-grown terrorists



A simple definition of terrorism?

The use of: a deliberate strategy of violence or intimidation, often arbitrary and seemingly unprovoked, often against civilians or non-combatants to achieve political or broader outcomes.

Deliberate: to some extent planned and organised

Violence or intimidation: assassination, uprisings, hostages, hijackings, skyjackings, and bombings.

Arbitrary: not specifically invoked - often without warning

Aims: achieve political (or perhaps theological) outcomes

Non-state actors (groups outside govt.) eg Shining Path, Tamil Tigers, Jemmeh Islamiah, Al Qaida

Committed by States themselves at times - more problematic/controversial.



When is terrorism international?

Terrorism becomes international when:

Attacks occur across international boundaries.

There are networks of finance, organisation and/or recruitment across international borders.

Motivation is against another nation.



When is terrorism international?

International does not necessarily mean global.

Al Qaida has been able to have a global reach, they have conducted attacks upon the US from their home soil, to Madrid, to Africa.

Jemmeh Islamiah have had an international reach by targetting western targets within Indonesia - Bali, Australian Embassy, Marriot Hotel.



Globalisation and Contemporary Terrorism.

•Globalisation has helped enable terrorism - by increasing connections internationally.

•Growth of international as part of the growth of power of non-state actors (a characteristic a a globalised world).

•Globalisation of US Western power through trade and investment, culture in PCWW

•One of the main causes of Islamist terrorist.

Nb. The timing and target of Sept. 11 - WTC, Pentagon, Whitehouse, - on the

anniversary of Pres. Bush’s New World Order speech.



Nature of

•Globalisation has helped enable terrorism - by increasing connections internationally.

•Growth of international as part of the growth of power of non-state actors (a characteristic a a globalised world).

•Globalisation of US Western power through trade and investment, culture in PCWW

•One of the main causes of Islamist terrorist.

Nb. The timing and target of Sept. 11 - WTC, Pentagon, Whitehouse, - on the

anniversary of Pres. Bush’s New World Order speech.

international conflict elements of a just war (i) jus ad bellum - the right to make war

Documents

cold war terrorism

nonstate terrorism nature

subsequent war

nature of armed conflict

pcw definitions of terrorism

conduct of war discrimination

general issue of conflict

just warii jus