Jus Ad Bellum: Relevancy in the 21st Century

Jus ad bellum Latin for just war--a branch of international law defining the conditions for the use of armed conflict--is under challenge for being irrelevant, invalid, and misapplied. This research paper will explain jus ad bellum, describe the processes used by the United States and the international community to use armed force, explore its application for self defense and preventative action, illustrate its use with the conflicts in Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan beginning in 2001, and the Iraq War of 2003 and highlight the issue of relevancy regarding non-state actors. This paper will offer that the existing construct of jus ad bellum is appropriate for meeting todays ad hoc threats.