Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations

From the Athenian attack on Melos to the My Lai Massacre, from the wars in the Balkans through the first war in Iraq, Michael Walzer examines the moral issues surrounding military theory, war crimes, and the spoils of war. He studies a variety of conflicts over the course of history, as well as the testimony of those who have been most directly involved—participants, decision makers, and victims. In his introduction to this new edition, Walzer specifically addresses the moral issues surrounding the war in and occupation of Iraq, reminding us once again that "the argument about war and justice is still a political and moral necessity."

Updated in light of recent events, this classic work--with more than 60,000 copies sold in previous editions--presents "a clear, humane, and startlingly original survey of the moral issues that complicate modern warmaking."--The Atlantic.New York Times Book Review.

This classic work of political ethics has radically reconfigured the way that we think about war

New York Review of Books

A magnificent book, an honor to its writer.

Michael Walzer is Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, and the author of many widely heralded books, including Spheres of Justice, Exodus and Revolution, and The Company of Critics, all available from Basic Books. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.