Just War Theory - Proportionality As A Jus Ad Bellum Criterion For War

1Pr oportionalityasajusadBellumcriterionforwar .Proportionalityisajustwarlegalcriterionforfairnessandjusticeinstatutoryinterpretationprocesses.Thecriteriaareusedtodiscernwhetherresortingtowarispermissible.Itcanalsobeusedtoassessactsofwarandanalyzethemoralreasoningbehindthewar .JusadBellumutilizestheprincipleofproportionalityincasesoftheformerexample,givinganalysisbeforeacounter -strikeisdecided.ThisessaywillevaluatethecriterionofproportionalityasarequirementofadBellumcriteria.Furthermore,itwillexploretheadBellumrequirementofproportionalitythroughthelensoftheologiansandjust-wartheorists,suchasAquinasandAugustine,andtheexampleoftheRussianhackingofSolarW inds.Theconceptofproportionalityhasatechnicalmeaningconnectedtothestudyoftheethicsofwar .GoingbacktotheeraofAugustineofHippo,thejustwartheorydistinguishesbetweentheprinciplesgoverningthejusticeofgoingtowar(jusadBellum)andthosegoverningjustconductinwarfare(jusinBello)(Pavlischek).TherearetwomainjusinBellocriteria:discriminationandpr oportionality(thelatterofwhichwillbethefocusofthispiece).Briefly ,theprincipleofdiscriminationprohibitsdirectandintentionalattacksonnoncombatants.Internationallawandjustwartheoryonlyinsistthattheanticipatedcollateraldamagethemerelyforeseensecondaryef fectsmustbeproportionatetothemilitaryadvantagesoughtinattackingthelegitimatemilitarytar get(Pavlischek&Ofek).Thissenseofpr oportionalityisthesecondjusintheBellocriterion-asithastodoalmostentirelywiththe2foreseenbutunintendedconsequencesdonetowardsnon-combatantsandcivilianinfrastructure.ProportionalityiscriticalinapplyingadBellum'sanalysisofjustwartheory .Ininstancesofpossiblewar ,astatemustanalyzetherationaleforastrike/counter -strikeagainstanenemy .Moreover ,astatemustensurethatanymilitaryactionagainstanenemyismorallyjustifiable,asinjuryordeatharemostlikelyoutcomesofanydecision.Thecostofamilitarystrikeoractionmustnotsignificantlyexceedthebenefitsgainedfromsaidaction.Theobjectiveofproportionalityistoavoidandprevent"scorchedearth"policies-theuseofaggressiondisproportionatetoavictimstate sabilitytorespond.Inshort,thelevelofmilitaryvictorymustbeproportionaltothelevelofdestructionthatensues.Thishas,however ,notbeenthestandardbeliefamongjustwarscholars.Aswelookback,beginningwiththeeraofSaintAugustineofHippo,wecanseethatthecausesandjustificationsofwararevagueandlooselydefined.Just-wartheoristslikeSaintAugustineholdmorepacifisticstancesonproportionalitythanrecentjust-warphilosophersandtheorists.Augustine sContraFaustumManichaeumar guesthatagovernmentactinginthebestinterestsofChristianmoralsshouldnotworryaboutcommittingviolenceandpreventingwickednesswhenforcedtodosobyanopposingforce(Holmes,2015).Augustinepointsoutthatstandingneutralagainstinjusticeinanothernationwouldbetheequivalentofsin.ThistechnicallyfallswithinthejusadBellumrequirementsofproportionalityandagreeswithSaintThomasAquinasassessmentthatwarshouldfixawrong.3Inhis(ar guably)mostfamousjust-warwriting,SummaTheologica,SaintThomasAquinasstatesthatitisnotnecessarilywrongtoinitiateactsofwar(Imustaddthatthestatementitselfcertainlycontradictstheideaofturningtheothercheek,butIdigress).Inadditiontohisassertion,Aquinascreatedalistofrequirementstoinitiateajustwar .AccordingtoAquinas,threerequirementsmustbeachieved:First,theactofwarmustbeledunderthecommandofalegitimatesovereignorcommander .Thisrequirementpreventsafalseleaderfromusinganation'smilitarypowertowagewar .Second,warmustbeinitiatedusingmorals,specificallywhenagravewronghasbeencommitted.Thiswouldinvolvesometypeofinitialaggressionagainstthestateorthestate sinterests.Thirdly ,soldiersandarmedcombatantsmustactinthenameofgood,namelytoavoidactsofevilandavoidcommittingwarcrimesinbattle.Thecounter -strikewouldhavetobeperformedtorightawrongortobringmoraljusticetoasituation(Lazar ,2014).T otrulyunderstandtheuseofproportionalityasajusadBellumrequirement,weshouldlookattheexampleofRussiancyberwarfareandtheUnitedStatesproportionalresponses.AsdescribedintheSangeretal.articleontheSolarW indsattack,TheUnitedStatesgovernmenttookthecyberattacksfromRussiaonSolarW indsasavitalsignofaggression.Thesecyber -attacksindicateanewarmsrace,asbillionsofdollarshavebeenredirectedintocybersecuritybudgetingoverthelastfewyears.TheUnitedStateshastakenaproportionalrouteregardingcybersecuritybyhackingintoadversary snetworkstogetanearlylookattheiroperations(Singeretal.)andpreventingthemthroughcounteractioniftheneedeverarises.Inshort,theUnitedStatesconducted4proportionalhackingofRussiansystemstofulfilljusadBellum.Thisstrategy ,however ,couldnotbeimplementeddomesticallyintoprivate-sectornetworksandthusmissedtheRussianattacksaltogether .Overall,thisexampleshowstheUnitedStatesgovernment'sactiveef forttoapplyaproportionalresponsetotheRussiangovernment scyberattacksonprivatecitizens.ThecaseofRussiacyberhackingtheUnitedStates-andsubsequenthackingofRussiainretaliation-isanexcellentexampleofproportionalityasitrelatestothejusadBellumrequirements.TheProportionalityoftheUnitedStatesresponseasanadBellumrequirementfulfilledtheproperrequirements:itwastheproportionalcalculationthathelpeddeterminethattheresponseshouldbeacyberhacking,itassessedthatanentireoutwarwouldnotbenecessary ,anditassessedthatthemoralitybehindtheresponsewasjustified.Whatwouldthefutureimplicationsofproportionalitybeinotherscenarios?Asstatedearlier ,proportionalityisusedtoavoidscorchedearthpoliciesthatwouldcauseunnecessarydamageanddeath.Proportionality ,asaresponsivestrike,wouldhavetobeusedwhenmildtomoderatedamageisreceivedbecauseseveredamagewouldwarrantseriousinterventiontowardtheaggressorstate.5Bibliography:Holmes,RobertL.AT imeForW ar?ChristianityT oday.com,ChristianityT oday ,1Sept.2001,www .christianitytoday .com/ct/2001/septemberweb-only/9-17-55.0.html.Singer ,P .W .(PeterW arren)(March2014).Cybersecurityandcyberwar:whateveryoneneedstoknow .Friedman,Allan.Oxford.ISBN9780199918096.TheOxfor dHandbookofEthicsofW ar,bySethLazar ,2018thed.,OxfordUniversityPress,2018,p.1 14.Pavlischek,K.,&Ofek,H.(2020,September26).Proportionalityinwarfare.RetrievedMay05,2021,fromhttps://www .thenewatlantis.com/publications/proportionality-in-warfare