Bellum Iustum: when war was at least theoretically just (and today it is no longer)
There was a time when, to wage war, you needed at least a decent excuse. I'm not talking about absolute morality. I'm talking about criteria. Rules. Even a certain form of intellectual dignity amid horror. The Romans called it bellum iustum—just war—and as much as it seems like an oxymoron thrown in there to torment you, it had a precise meaning. Today...
