Victory

The Triumph and Tragedy of Just War

Cian O'Driscoll author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:27th Nov '19

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Victory cover

Committing one's country to war is a grave decision. Governments often have to make tough calls, but none are quite so painful as those that involve sending soldiers into harm's way, to kill and be killed. The idea of 'just war' informs how we approach and reflect on these decisions. It signifies the belief that while war is always a wretched enterprise it may in certain circumstances, and subject to certain restrictions, be justified. Boasting a long history that is usually traced back to the sunset of the Roman Empire, it has coalesced over time into a series of principles and moral categories--e.g., just cause, last resort, proportionality, etc.--that will be familiar to anyone who has ever entered a discussion about the rights and wrongs of war. Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Just War focuses both on how this particular tradition of thought has evolved over time and how it has informed the practice of states and the legal architecture of international society. This book examines the vexed position that the concept of victory occupies within this framework.

O'Driscoll's book is informative and interesting to read. The author gives short summaries of the theories of Michael Walzer and Jeff McMahan, who are key figures in today's discussion about just war theory. * Stefan Hofmann, SJ, Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt am Main, The Heythrop Journal *
This is a book that demands attention, that should be taken off the shelf and used to inform arguments and debates about the morality of wars and, indeed, of war itself... This book is glorious precisely because it pushes us to confront...difficult questions. * Alex J. Bellamy, Contemporary Political Theory *
a thoughtful, erudite book that manages to insightfully explore both just war theory and the nature of war. * Jeffrey W. Meiser, assistant professor at the University of Portland, Strategy Bridge *

ISBN: 9780198832911

Dimensions: 231mm x 159mm x 16mm

Weight: 418g

186 pages