Religion, Peace and Conflict

Title: Violent Protest In today's class you are going to be learning about the following topics:a) Violent protest - Acts of terrorismb) Understanding how terrorist organisations threaten the existence of the State of Israel.c) Understand different reasons for why countries may go to war.d) Understand the Just war theory - History and practical application.e) Case study - Looking at the ethics of the IDF.F) Familiarise yourself with different Jewish references to the topic of War. Sub heading: Violent Protest - Acts of Terrorism Please watch the following video and write brief notes about the causes of terrorism. Please feel free to research your own additional points. You may also want to refer to section 6.2 and 6.3 from the text book. Propaganda - Encouraging acts of Terror Please watch the following video and write brief notes about the causes of terrorism. Please feel free to research your own additional points. You may also want to refer to section 6.2 and 6.3 from the text book. Causes of War The causes of warWar is an organised conflict, usually consisting of intense violence carried out by one state or states against another state or states.The causes of any war are complex. Wars are rarely about just one thing. They can be declared when a state or states act to:attack or invade another state to gain territory or resourcesresist an attack or invasion by an aggressorprotect another state from attack by an aggressorimpose domination or political change on another state, or resist such dominationchallenge a threat to essential national interests by another statecounter perceived threats from a different ideology, religion or ethnic groupdefend the national honour when under threatWar can also occur internally within a state between organised groups, this is known as civil war.Please also refer to section: 6.3 in the unit: Religion, Peace and Conflict Just War theory Please read the information below on the 'Just War theory'.What is a just war?A just war is a war which is declared for right and noble reasons and fought in a certain way. A just war is not a war that is ‘good’ as such. It is a war that people would argue to be necessary or 'just' in the circumstances, when all other solutions have been tried and have failed. It is a necessary evil and a last resort.The just war theory was first developed by St Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas was one of the most influential theologians of the last 1,000 years. The theory set out conditions against which to judge the following:whether or not a war should be waged - jus ad bellum (Latin for 'right to war')if a war could be justified, and how it should be waged - jus in bello (Latin for 'the law in waging war')Aquinas's conditions for a just war – jus ad bellumThe war must have a just cause - eg against invasion or for self-defence - and not to acquire wealth or power.The war must be declared and controlled by a proper authority, eg the state or ruler.The war must be fought to promote good or avoid evil, with the aim of restoring peace and justice after the war is over.Later conditions developed by other Christians - jus in belloThe war must be a last resort when all peaceful solutions have been tried and failed, eg negotiation.The war should be fought with proportionality. There should be just enough force to achieve victory over legitimate targets, ie civilians should be protected.The good which is achieved by the war must be greater than the evil which led to the war. Just War Theory Please watch the short video and review section 6.5 in the text book.In your exercise book, please write your own notes explaining the theory. Please also split the page and write brief arguments of the advantages and disadvantages of the Just War theory. Application - Case Studies Please watch the following video which describes the morals and ethics of the IDF and how they strive to follow the Just War theory at all times.Please write summary notes in your book with different examples of how the IDF follows the Just War theory. Ethics of the IDF Case Study 1 Jewish references Please research and make notes of different Jewish teachings on the topic of War.(Hints: Obligatory War / Yaakov and Esav / Book of Devarim Chapter 20 / IDF self defence / Amalek etc) Exam styled question Please create a detailed plan in your book for the following question:There should be no rules governing how a war is fought’Evaluate this statement. In your answer you:• should give reasoned arguments in support of this statement• should give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view• should refer to religious arguments • may refer to non-religious arguments• should reach a justified conclusion. [12 marks]