Israel - Hezbollah - Lebanon, "Proportionality" and Just War Theory

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the loss of civilian life and the targeting of "civilian infrastructure" compromised by Hezbollah has provoked a discussion of proportionality and just war criteria -- for the benefit of our readers, this post will compile the key articles and contributions on this subject.

• Just War for the Sake of Argument, by Stephen Bainbridge. TCS Daily July 18, 2006.
• Proportionality in War Rob Driscoll. The Remedy July 18, 2006.
• Bainbridge’s “Just War for the Sake of Argument” Democracy Project July 18, 2006.
• How Just Must a Just War Be?, by Jordan Baillor. Acton Institute PowerBlog July 20, 2006 at 09:08am.
• A Question About Just War Theory July 20, 2006. Prof. Bainbridge.
• When is a War Just? by Anthony Clark. Georgetown.edu: "Exploring International Law" July 20, 2006 (6:03pm).
• Proportionality in jus in bello by Kenneth Anderson (Law of War and Just War Theory Blog). July 21, 2006.
• Answers to Just War Questions, by Jordan Ballor. Acton Institute Powerblog Friday, July 21, 2006 at 08:10am.
• More on Proportionality and Just War, by Anthony Clark. Georgetown.edu: "Exploring International Law" Jul-22-06 02:07 pm.
• War Fair: The Ethics of Battle, by Michael Walzer. The New Republic:

  Israel is now at war with an enemy whose hostility is extreme, explicit, unrestrained, and driven by an ideology of religious hatred. But this is an enemy that does not field an army; that has no institutional structure and no visible chain of command; that does not recognize the legal and moral principle of noncombatant immunity; and that does not, indeed, acknowledge any rules of engagement. How do you--how does anyone--fight an enemy like that? I cannot deal with the strategy and tactics of such a fight. How to strike effectively, how to avoid a dangerous escalation--those are important topics, but not mine. The question I want to address is about morality and politics.

  The easy part of the answer is to say what cannot rightly be done. . . .

  An examination of the situation by the author of Just And Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations (Basic Books, 2006).
• Quick note on proportionality jus ad bellum and the law of belligerent reprisal, by Kenneth Anderson. Law of War and Just War Theory Blog July 26, 2006.
• Who Owns the Rules of War?, by Kenneth Anderson. New York Times Magazine April 24, 2003. [Repost]
• On the differences between Catholic just war theory and Michael Walzer's just war theory: the criterion of likelihood of success, by Kenneth Anderson. Law of War and Just War Theory Blog July 28, 2006:

  a discussion in moral theory of the just war, from two years ago, of differences between Catholic just war theory and other versions of the theory, notably that of Michael Walzer in his celebrated Just and Unjust Wars. I have been thinking about these differences in reading the commentary on the Lebanon conflict, particularly that of the Catholic law professor Stephen Bainbridge . . .

See also:

• Louise Arbour, top US human rights official, stated that the killing and maiming of civilians under attack in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza and the West Bank could constitute war crimes (New York Times July 19, 2006). In Are Israel's Military Operations in Lebanon Proportional? -- What International Law Really Says, Doni Remba, President of Chicago Peace Now, disputes the United Nations' accusations.

• Fighting the Wolves at the Gate One Hand Clapping July 20, 2006. Deacon John Krenson, Afghanistan veteran and author of Crossfire - A Time for Peace, War & Love, examines the conflict in light of just war criteria.