This timely book analyses how different nations, religions, and cultures justify the waging of war, and what limits they place on its use. The case studies shed new light on the causes and justifications of current conflicts, providing a valuable source for those wishing to understand how different people around the world view the issue of war.

Contents: Introduction, Paul Robinson. Jewish, Christian and Islamic Perspectives: Judaism and justice in war, George Wilkes; Catholicism and the just war tradition: the experience of moral value in warfare, Paul Dearey; Justifiable war in eastern orthodox Christianity, Alexander F.C. Webster; The justification of war in Russian history and philosophy, Paul Robinson; War, peace and the imperatives of justice in Islamic perspective: what do the 11 September 2001 attacks tell us about Islam and the just war tradition?, John Kelsay. Eastern Religious Perspectives: Buddhism and the justification of war: a case study from Sri Lanka, Elizabeth J. Harris; Pain but not harm: some classical resources toward a Hindu just war theory, Francis X. Clooney S.J.; Sikhism and just war, Gurharpal Singh. Pre-Modern Perspectives: Inauspicious tools: Chinese thought on the morality of warfare, Thomas M. Kane; The Arabs, the Byzantine state and the Islamic law of war (fiqh al-jihad) (7th-10th centuries CE), Frank R. Trombley; The rules of war in Sub-Saharan Africa, Alexander Moseley. Modern Perspectives: Justifying killing: US army chaplains of World War II, Jenel Virden; Conflicting normative dimensions of justification: the Gulf War, Brendan Howe; Just war and the perspective of ethics of care, Rob van den Toorn; Index.