ABSTRACT
Just war theory is the dominant approach in the ethics of armed conflict. Yet, it has been suggested that some of the central principles of just war theory need to be revised when we are assessing military counterterrorist operations. This chapter rejects two arguments for doing this: one from Nicholas Fotion, who thinks that the difficulty of states’ abiding by just war principles when engaging terrorists justifies their setting those principles aside; and one from Stephen Coleman, who claims that just war principles are inapplicable here, since military counterterrorism should be treated as policing, and not warfare. The chapter finally advances another argument, which appeals to the consequentialist logic of many just war principles. When new empirical circumstances obtain—as is the case when terrorist groups are parties to armed conflicts—those principles may need to be modified.
