All Things Expounded

Just War Theory goes something like:

Jus ad bellum (the right to go to war)

• Just cause
• Comparative justice
• Legitimate authority
• Right intention
• Probability of success
• Last resort
• Proportionality

Jus in bello (conducting war)

• Distinction
• Proportionality
• Military Necessity

Applying this to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and potentially Iran in the future).. Even if we are to grant Just Cause, Comparative Justice, Legitimate Authority, and Right Intention (all of which can certainly be plausibly argued against), there is no way in the world these wars are wars of Last Resort, where all other options have been tried and failed.  In fact, very few options have been tried, and the ones that have been tried were purposely kept on a short leash. Furthermore, there is a marked lack of Proportionality. What the U.S. has done in Iraq and Afghanistan is disproportional to what it is allegedly responding to, even if we are to presume Iraq and Afghanistan were actually responsible for all recent terrorism.