Kant’s Theory of Just War in the Evolution of Contemporary International Law (With an emphasis on Russia and Ukraine war)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Meisam Norouzi. Assistant Prof in public of international law, Department of law, Faculty of humanities, Bu-Ali Sina university, Hamadan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Public International Law, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

3 Ph.D. Student in Public International Law, Faculty of Law, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan Branch, Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

The concept of just war and its relationship with peace and international justice has always been emphasized by political scholars and philosophers. The theory of just war is one of the most important theories in international relations concerning peace and the laws of war, proposed by Immanuel Kant. From Kant's perspective, the use of war as a tool to pursue political goals is inevitable, but this action should not be accompanied by violations of international laws and commitments. The formulation of this theory and its subsequent themes remain a subject of dispute among many political thinkers. Based on this premise, the present research seeks to explain the theory of just war and its characteristics from Kant's perspective and examines its position in the contemporary international legal system with an emphasis on the Russia-Ukraine war. Drawing on library resources and using an analytical-descriptive approach, this article finds that the justifiability of a war is contingent upon respecting principles such as human rights and adherence to international laws, and the formulation of international treaties should aim to legalize war and redefine the concept of just defense.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 September 2025
  • Receive Date: 29 January 2024
  • Revise Date: 25 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 07 September 2025