Just War Theory: Feminist Critique as a Practical Alternative to Revisionism

For more than a decade now, a debate has taken place between revisionists and traditionalists about some of the constitutive aspects and the nature of the just war theory. This article argues that revisionism has not been able to provide a practical alternative to the traditional just war theory and that we can satisfy some of the main practical aims of revisionism even within the traditional just war theory framework. The article then briefly introduces the feminist critique of the just war tradition recently presented by Rosemary Kellison and argues that Kellison's approach promises a more appropriate practical reform programme for the just war debate. Moreover, the practical perspective of Kellison's account is able to contain some of the aims of revisionism without containing its shortcomings such as its counterintuitive conclusions or deflecting too far from the traditional just war theory.