Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations by Michal Walzer
382 pgs (347 reading)

Every now and then, I read a book for class and it takes me away.   Although it is a rare case.  This novel is one of those rare times.  Although published in 1977, which was during the cold war with the big Russian bear staring at the rest of the free world ready to strike it down, the many lessons and thoughts in the book are still relevant.

The book is about warfare.  Simply, what is a legal war, when is it legal to go to war and finally, how does a nation conduct war after they have entered it.  First, he starts off with the four different foundations about warfare.  The Bellicist, Realist, Just War, and finally Pacifist.  After thoroughly explaining that Just War is his main focus, he then dives into Jus an Bellum and Jus in Bello and how they should be thought of as separate but corresponding points to warfare.  Finally, he dives into what is allowed and when it should be allowed.

Like the Lord of the Rings, there is much information within each paragraph.  Every student in the class stated that one paragraph felt like 10 pages of information.  Even keeping notes, it was challenging to recall the information that is presented in the book.

I found the book difficult to put down, however, as a fanatic of history, this book is like eating a dessert that I enjoyed morsel by morsel.

I don’t know if I would recommend this novel to anyone that is not a political theorist or history buff.  Many in my class were not enjoying the material, although it is very important to understand for International Relations majors.

Happy Reading,

Lopaka