Just or unjust attack?
The bombardment of Dresden in February 1945
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/DP.2022.012Keywords:
bombardment of Dresden, Just-War theory, post-war analysisAbstract
This paper analyses and classifies the Allied bombardment of the German city Dresden in February 1945. The evaluation takes place on the basis of the Just-War theory and its principles (principle of proportionality, immunity and discrimination). The results reveal the bombing of the city as an unjust attack, although the bigger picture of winning the war should be taken into account as the biggest counter-argument. The use of exact this case also demonstrates to us the major benefits of the theory. The distinctions (ius in bellum, ius ad bellum) make it possible for the research to produce a moral assessment, independent of the belligerents and the winning side.
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