Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book offers a short account of classical theories of war and imperialism. It describes the following three major themes: the moral issue: warfare as an instrument of justice, human and divine; the international issue: warfare as an instrument of foreign policy or raison detat; and the constitutional issue: warfare as an instrument of internal policy. Premodern thought about the ethics of warfare is distinguished by the absence of two important theories that in recent times dominate discourse on this subject. These are defensism and pacifism. The contemporary strategic vocabulary of war is derived from Western and non-Western traditions, and its roots are classical and neoclassical; the contemporary moral vocabulary comes from the just war tradition and has been heavily influenced by Christianity. The book attempts to summarize the continuing influence of this tradition, and looks at its primitive roots.