Just War Theory
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Just War (jus ad bellum) is a doctrine of war which teaches that a war is not valid unless it is just, meaning it is defensive in nature either reclaiming things stolen or to castigate an offending person.
Under jus ad bellum, only legitimate authorities can wage war for the right reasons (usually this means a defensive war) and only as a last resort if every other peaceful means to avert war have been used to no avail.