A defensive war () is one of the causes that justify

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

by the criteria of the

Just War The just war theory () is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. It has bee ...

tradition. It means a war where at least one nation is mainly trying to defend itself from another, as opposed to a war where both sides are trying to invade and conquer each other. The right to

self-defence in international law International law recognizes a right of self-defense according to the Chapter VII, Article 51 of the UN Charter, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirmed in the '' Nicaragua Case'' on the use of force. Some commentators believe that ...

is enshrined in Chapter VII, Article 51 of the

UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the United Nations (UN). It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the United Nations System, UN system, including its United Nations System#Six ...

Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of collective or individual self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, until the
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
has taken the measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by members in exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.

History

American supporters of the war against the British argued that the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

was a defensive war, citing British harassment of American merchant shipping and

impressment Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is a type of conscription of people into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion, conducted by an organized group (hence "gang"). European nav ...

of American sailors on the

high seas The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...

as well as armed support to Indian tribes resisting American expansion in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

in order to create a pro-British Indian barrier state.

Views

The Islamic scholar

Sufyan al-Thawri Abū ʿAbd Allāh Sufyān ibn Saʿīd ibn Masrūq ibn Ḥamza al-Thawrī al-Muḍarī al-Kūfī (; 716–778 CE / 97–161 AH), commonly known as Sufyān al-Thawrī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, ascetic, traditionist, and eponymous ...

(716–778), who was called by

Majid Khadduri Majid Khadduri (; September 27, 1909 – January 25, 2007) was an Iraqi academic. He was founder of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Middle Eastern Studies, Middle East Studies program, a division of Johns Hopkins Uni ...

(1909–2007) a pacifist, maintained that ''

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

'' (holy war) was only a defensive war.

References

Sources

* * * * Wars by type Warfare by type {{mil-stub

History

Views

See also

References

Sources