to go against the will of another”. 64 In order for a conflict to be considered a just war according to just war theory it must adhere to three main tenants; jus ad bellum (the right to wage war), jus in bello (the just conduct of war) and jus post bellum (justice in the aftermath of war). 65 The doctrine of double effect falls under jus in bello. In the context of war and conflict it can be described as the deliberate targeting and killing of innocents in war so long as their deaths are a side-effect of military action or are not the primary military objective. 66 Other definitions describe the doctrine of double effect as being where an evil action (i.e. harming civilians) is permissible as long as the intended effect is morally good and outweigh the morally evil action. 67 This means that if civilian casualties are a side effect of a military operation and the intended effect morally outweighs the targeting of civilians, then it can be described as a just action and fit the doctrine of double effect. A principle example of this theory in warfare is with the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. The dropping of the two nuclear bombs over the cities killed an estimated 129,000 and 226,000, with most of these deaths being attributed to civilians who may have had nothing to do with the war effort of
64 Potter, Charlie, Pacifism and Just War Theory (2015), <https://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/blog/pacifism-and-just-war-theory> [Accessed 14 February 2019]. 65 Just War Theory: A Reappraisal , ed. by Mark Evans (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005). 66 Just War Theory , Evans. 67 Walzer, Michael, Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations (New York: Basic Books, 2015).
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