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Ethics of War and Peace
Theories
Ethics of war and peace is influenced by three traditional theories, these
are: the Realism, the Pacifism and the Doctrine of Just War. According to the
Just war Doctrine there are situations when a state can rightfully go to war. A
war may sometimes (not always) be approved. This is radically different from
the Realist world view, according to which states’ motivation for war is rooted
in their security considerations and their battle for power. According to real-
ists, moral has nothing to do in the harsh reality of world politics where only
the strongest can survive. A state has to concentrate upon its security and
economic development, not moral ideals. Pacifists do not do not share the
skepticism of Realists about the morality. And unlike the Just War Doctrine,
which does not rule out outbreak of war, the Pacifists condemn any occur-
rence of war, as there always exists a peaceful alternative to violence. 
Factor of War
I World War
War has always resulted in changing international environment. For ex-
ample approximately 15 million people had died in the World War I. Apart
from humans; this major conflict had resulted in braking up of the three Eu-
ropean empires- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. Before World War I,
the global balance of power was centered in Europe, however after the con-
flict the new great powers- US and Japan had entered the world scene. 
The scholars studying the World War I have traditionally dealt with the
three levels of the analysis- the systemic, the domestic and the individual lev-
els. 
On the systemic level there have been two main factors influencing on
rising tensions, namely the growing power of Germany and the existence of
the system of alliances.   
On the domestic level there were such important events taking place as
the internal crisis in the Austria-Hungarian and the Ottoman empires, as well
as the domestic political climate in Germany.   
On the individual level we may argue, that as the emperor of Austria-
Hungary France Joseph was quite old, the state was governed by the minister
of foreign affairs. The heir of the throne was Price Ferdinand, killed in
Sarayevo. The ruler of Russia Nicolas II was considered to be an isolated au-
tocrat, having only domestic influence being himself under great influence of
his wife. The main figure of those times was Wilhelm II, whose emotional
character had drawn Germany so close to the dangerous political steps. 
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World War II
World War II has prevailed over all conflicts known to history both
with its viciousness and the damage inflicted to all parties. The casualties dur-
ing the conflict are still indefinite, ranging from 35 to 50 million with different
authors. Unlike the World War I, the alliance had occupied the territories of
Germany and Japan, reforming its society. Although the world still stayed
bipolar, the main actors have changed. The new superpowers which came out
on the world scene were the United States and Russia. Europe ceased to be the
center of global political power. 
The World War II is sometimes also called the ‘Hitler’s War’. What
Hitler in fact needed was a fast victory, not a protracted conflict in the tradi-
tion of the World War I. 
If we begin the structural level analysis of the WW II, we will conclude
that individuals played a crucial role in the beginning of the conflict. Namely
the Racist ideology of Hitler occurred to be unsuccessful. He believed in su-
periority of the Arial race and did not accept the American pluralism as a
source of great power. 
The WWII was conditioned by some factors on the system level as
well. The international relations of the period were greatly influenced by in-
creased role of ideologies in societies- leading ideologies being Fascism and
Communism. There have been three important changes on the domestic level
as well: First, the Western democracies were under pressure of class struggle
and ideological disputes so that coordinating the foreign policies became al-
most impossible. 
Second, the Great Depression had a great influence on domestic pol-
itics as well as the class struggle.
Third and one of the key factors was the isolationist politics of the
United States, conducted after the end of WW I. The isolationism did not finish
until Japan attacked the US port of Pearl Harbor. 
Humanitarian Law
Historical Background
Due to the instability of the modern world the main idea of the inter-
national cooperation is avoiding armed conflicts and preserving international
peace and security. Another aim set is protecting civilians in any situation, in-
cluding the times of conflict. The latter is the main principle of humanitarian
law. 
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The easiest and the most universal definition of humanitarian law is
as follows: love your neighbor as much as you love yourself, and don’t treat
others in the way you don’t want to be treated yourself. 
The task of humanitarian law is to help humanity survive. It strives to
convince the international society that living in the civilized world is possible
and cooperation is key component for finding peaceful means of coexistence. 
List of Conventions
Sources of International Humanitarian Law
The main sources of the humanitarian law are the 4 Geneva Conventions
on protection of victims of war signed on August 12, 1949. 
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the
Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field (First Geneva Convention)
for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked
Members of Armed Forces at Sea (Second Geneva Convention)
Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (Third
Geneva Convention)
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time
of War (Fourth Geneva Convention)
Additionally, two protocols were added to the conventions on June 8,
1977:
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Proto-
col 1)
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts
(Protocol 2)
The Geneva conventions have become widely observed international
documents. Today 175 states (prevailing majority of the world states) have
accepted its principles. 
The Hague Convention about the rules and customs of land warfare (Oc-
tober 18, 1907) and the Hague Chater attached. The convention was preceded
by a number of such documents as Liberia Code, Sankt Petersburg Declara-
tion, Brussels Declaration (1874), Oxford Manual (1880), and the convention
worked out by the I Peace Conference in Hague (1899). 
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