By Martin Bernier
Published yesterday at 6:34 p.m., updated 2 minutes ago
Michael Waltz Fabien Clairefond
MAJOR MAINTENANCE WORK – His book “Just and Unjust Wars,” published in 1977, is still an important reference work today: the professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and an important philosopher of war ethics provides his analysis of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
LE FIGARO. – After The attack of October 7th what you think should be the correct response from Israel ? The Hebrew State Was he able to wage a just war? ?
Michael WALZER. – It wasn’t a military attack, it was a pogrom, and I think it’s important to call it that. Given this situation, a response was required; The perpetrators had to be punished and it had to be ensured that they would never be able to do something like that again. The Hamas attack was a starting point whose goal, in my opinion, was to start a war.
Self-defense is the most classic and paradigmatic version of just war. There are other forms, but this is the most basic and easiest to understand, because the domestic analogy works perfectly: if I am attacked by a bully on the street and defend myself, I behave fairly. And if you help me, you will act justly. That’s not all, but it’s the beginning of the story
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