What Makes a War Just?

What exactly is a just war? These two words seem to form an oxymoron. War is usually thought of as a type of hostile conflict, which would therefore make war seem unjust. Throughout history, there have been many different broad interpretations of what exactly makes a war just. St. Augustine was one of the first writers to say that the objective of war should be peace. He specifically called for three conditions to go to …

…periods of peace would be very few and far between. What would life be like if the United States engaged in war every time one of its citizens felt as if their religious beliefs were being compromised, or felt as if they were being called by God to engage in war. Personally, I feel as if our current system works. It makes me glad that I live in the time and place that I do.