Kant and the Tradition of Just War

Kant's writings on international law, especially in his Towards Perpetual Peace and the Metaphysics of Morals, Doctrine of Right (Rechtslehre), have given rise to a variety of interpretations. In this paper, it is argued that these interpretations stem from an ambiguity within these writings. Whereas the first text seems to subscribe to a pacifist viewpoint, the latter rather seems to give support to just war thinking. In an attempt to unravel this seeming incongruity, I sketch both perspectives and make an effort to reconcile them. In doing so, I rely not only on Kant's text, but also on a reflection of the basic tenets of just war thinking. From this, I draw the conclusion that one should only give preference to the perspective of Towards Perpetual Peace. Although a part of Kant's writings appears to belong within the tradition of the 'just war', preference should be given to a more pacifist interpretation, albeit it of a peculiar, legal kind.