ABSTRACT
This chapter of Walzer's book, Just and Unjust Wars, a popular and well-written text which occasioned a revival of interest in just war theory within military circles, is entitled 'Against Realism', the book seeking to recapture the just war for political and moral theory. In the contemporary state system as codified by the United Nations, established governments acting in self defence or the United Nations Security Council, are regarded as the only right authorities. Like just war theory it opposes both the valorisation of violence in militarism and the amoralism of realism, and recognises that war is an evil. Just war theory's insistence, against realism and militarism, that military violence is not beyond the legitimate sphere of moral reasoning is important, and the arguments for the occasional and limited use of force to restore peace and rectify injustice are strong ones.
