A defensive war (german: Verteidigungskrieg
) is one of the causes that justify war by the criteria of the
Just War 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.
History
American supporters of war against the British argued that the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...
was a defensive war.
Views
The Islamic scholar
Sufyan al-Thawri
Sufyan al-Thawri ( ar, أبو عبد الله سفيان بن سعيد بن مسروق الثوري, ʼAbu ʿAbd Allāh Sufyān ibn Saʻīd ibn Masrūq al-Thawrī ; 716–778) was a ''Tābi‘ al-Tābi‘īn'' Islamic scholar, jurist, and founde ...
(716–778), who was called by
Majid Khadduri (1909–2007) a pacifist, maintained that ''
jihad
Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...
'' (holy war) was only a defensive war.
See also
* ''
Battleplan
{{italic title
''Battleplan'' is a 2006 military television documentary series examining various military strategies used in modern warfare since World War I. It is shown on the Military Channel in the U.S. and Yesterday. Each episode looks at ...
'' (documentary TV series)
References
Sources
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Wars by type
Warfare by type
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