La dimension punitive des guerres justes dans la doctrine theologique (d'Augustin a Vitoria)
In: Raisons politiques: études de pensée politique, Heft 17, S. 81-96
ISSN: 1291-1941
This article undertakes a serious assessment of Carl Schmitt's admonition: viz. that every war that makes a criminal of the enemy & claims to be waged in the name of justice will be a war of annihilation, more inhumane, more total, than traditional wars between equal States for political stakes. A close reading of texts in the theological tradition reveals a more contrasting picture of the doctrine of waging war for just cause: the just war is conceived of simply as exacting reparation for a perceived violation of law; the enemy is indeed viewed as a criminal, but his punishment does not mean his utter extermination; the just war is not a holy war & continues to be regarded as legal in essence. Adapted from the source document.