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Full Idea
It is not unlawful to put a city to sack, if it is necessary for the conduct of the war …as a spur to the courage of the troops.
Gist of Idea
Sacking a city is lawful if it motivates the attacking troops
Source
Francis de Vitoria (On the Law of War [1525], p.184), quoted by Michael Walzer - Just and Unjust Wars 08
Book Ref
Walzer,Michael: 'Just and Unjust Wars' [Penguin 1984], p.134
A Reaction
Hideous. Presumably this would include raping the women. Could you motivate a football team in a similar way? Or to get your children to pass exams?
| 23576 | Sacking a city is lawful if it motivates the attacking troops [Vitoria] |
| 20001 | The only right victors have over captives is the protection of the former [Montesquieu] |
| 23850 | The soldier-civilian distinction should be abolished; every citizen is committed to a war [Weil] |
| 23579 | Soldiers will only protect civilians if they feel safe from them [Walzer] |
| 23586 | What matters in war is unacceptable targets, not unacceptable weapons [Walzer] |
| 23591 | If the oppressor is cruel, nonviolence is either surrender, or a mere gesture [Walzer] |
| 23602 | Innocence implies not being morally responsible, rather than merely being guiltless [McMahan] |