ABSTRACT
Since the end of World War II, Western governments and militaries have often refrained from discussions of victory. This chapter argues that the surrender of victory as a political and ethical concept is a moral and strategic failure, both for classical just war thinking and for broader political and military ethics today. This chapter is less a historical analysis than an examination of where we are at today when considering the morality of winning. This chapter defines three notions of victory (defensive (Fabian), offensive, moral), considers why victory has fallen out of vogue since World War II, discusses the linkage between war aims and winning, and argues that achieving victory can be a praiseworthy, necessary end such as in cases of self-defense, punishment of wrongdoing, restoration, and self-determination.
