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<p>Recently, the world has been living in a situation of constant uncertainty and insecurity. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has entered its fifth year; the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for more than two years; there is also long-standing tension between China and Taiwan, etc. So, it would not be wrong to say that we live in the presence of the constant threat of global war. This is especially true of the countries of Eastern Europe, and even more so of the Baltic states living in the neighbourhood of aggressive Russia. Under such conditions, these states should be ready for a defensive war. And here a whole series of theoretical–philosophical questions arise. What kind of war is moral and just? What are the prerequisites and conditions for such a war? What are the rules, norms, and principles for waging it? In the pursuit of answers, it is imperative to keep in view a historical perspective, thereby facilitating the acquisition of insights from past missteps. A pertinent exemplar of this perspective is the theory of the just war as expounded by the scholars of modern scholasticism during the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. The most prominent proponents of this theory were Francisco de Vitoria (1480–1546), a member of the Dominican Order, and Francisco Suárez (1548–1617), a member of the Society of Jesus. These scholars built upon the philosophical contributions of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, adapting them to the emerging geopolitical landscape of the New World, which was being explored and colonised during this period. The fundamental rights of nations and states, as well as the conditions, rules and principles of their defence in a just war (<i>bellum justum</i>), were established by their works, which were published prior to Hugo Grotius’s treatises. In fact, most of these principles and rules remain relevant in the contemporary world, where war is an inseparable element of everyday reality. This article focuses specifically on these issues, as well as their applicability in the contemporary context of troubled times.</p>

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The theory of just war of modern scholasticism and its relevance for the Baltic states in troubled times

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

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  • Vytis Valatka,
  • Robert Leščinskij

摘要

Recently, the world has been living in a situation of constant uncertainty and insecurity. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has entered its fifth year; the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for more than two years; there is also long-standing tension between China and Taiwan, etc. So, it would not be wrong to say that we live in the presence of the constant threat of global war. This is especially true of the countries of Eastern Europe, and even more so of the Baltic states living in the neighbourhood of aggressive Russia. Under such conditions, these states should be ready for a defensive war. And here a whole series of theoretical–philosophical questions arise. What kind of war is moral and just? What are the prerequisites and conditions for such a war? What are the rules, norms, and principles for waging it? In the pursuit of answers, it is imperative to keep in view a historical perspective, thereby facilitating the acquisition of insights from past missteps. A pertinent exemplar of this perspective is the theory of the just war as expounded by the scholars of modern scholasticism during the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. The most prominent proponents of this theory were Francisco de Vitoria (1480–1546), a member of the Dominican Order, and Francisco Suárez (1548–1617), a member of the Society of Jesus. These scholars built upon the philosophical contributions of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, adapting them to the emerging geopolitical landscape of the New World, which was being explored and colonised during this period. The fundamental rights of nations and states, as well as the conditions, rules and principles of their defence in a just war (bellum justum), were established by their works, which were published prior to Hugo Grotius’s treatises. In fact, most of these principles and rules remain relevant in the contemporary world, where war is an inseparable element of everyday reality. This article focuses specifically on these issues, as well as their applicability in the contemporary context of troubled times.