Thomas Aquinas believed that a war needed to be a just one for it to be .
Thomas Aquinas had different criteria for the war and its justified .
means. His reasons were as follows: self-defense, peaceful means failed, triumph, .
proportionality, and the double effect.
In a just war, self-defense plays a big role. Self-defense is an act when you try .
and protect yourself when being attacked. If there is self-defense in a war that already .
tells us that the war is unjust. For someone to protect themselves this means that the war .
was an unexpected or quick attack. Force may not be used to acquire control over .
understanding but can establish new means of peace than those that preceded the war. .
Also, St. Thomas Aquinas states that self-defense should only be preformed for the good .
of man. .
Most people who wage for war want, in return, peace and so they are not .
opposed to peace except for evil peace. St. Thomas Aquinas states: "we do not seek .
peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, .
therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you are against, and bring .
them to the prosperity of peace." This doesn't mean that we stage wars to gain peace, but .
war is the last result in peace making. That brings us to peaceful means failed. Only if all .
possible means of peace have been breached, war is just. If there was a great effort put in .
negotiations and other means of peace creation, then a war is just.
.
Triumph is a huge factor in war. Most super powers want to triumph over their .
enemies, and this could be bad. If winning is the most important factor in a war, then, .
there will be no good from it. Winning is usually a selfish act done to make yourself feel .
good. Therefore winning a war isn't always a good act done for people but done for you. .
St. Thomas Aquinas states that war should only be preformed for good intention, and .
therefore winning isn't in that category.