Zwischen Pazifismus und gerechtem Krieg?

Der „gerechte Frieden“ als Leitbild der deutschsprachigen Friedensethik und Alternative zur Tradition des bellum iustum

Abstract

The theoretical framework of “just peace”, as developed by the Christian peace ethics
during the last decades, obviously presents an alternative to the Catholic tradition of
“just war” without demanding a strict pacifism in return. However, it would be completely
misleading if we understood “just peace” as a sort of compromise, balance or medium
between the classical concept of bellum iustum and the absolute claim for non-violence.
In contrast, this contribution attempts to demonstrate that “just peace” is able to unfold
its normative persuasiveness only by hypostatizing its indispensable opposition
to the principle of “just war”. In order to provide a consistent line of argumentation,
the article predominantly refers on Immanuel Kant to illustrate this specific theoretical
and conceptual implication.