War through (International) Law? Some Neo-rhetoric of “Othering” in the European “De jure belli ac pacis” Context

To my grandparents and to my uncles, veterans; to the victims of terrorism, in memoriam. «Whoever rejects the theory of the bellum justum denies the legal nature of international law. War is permitted as a sanction only as a reaction against a wrong suffered, against a definite conduct of states, determined by international law, and permitted only when directed against the state responsible for this conduct. Any war that does not present this character is a violation of international law. This is the substance of the bellum iustum. War is a mass murder, the greatest misfortune of our culture. The elimination of war is a problem of international politics and the most important instrument of international politics is international law ». (H. Kelsen, Peace through Law) SECTION I The problem of peace and the roads to war: an historical investigation on the use of international force