Abstract
This essay analyzes two moral cases using the Church’s just war teaching: the Allied bombing of German cities during World War II and modern-day economic sanctions imposed by certain governments on other countries. The first part of this paper discusses the arguments used by moral theologian John C. Ford, S.J., in his article “The Morality of Obliteration Bombing,” to condemn the Allied forces’ policy of bombing civilian areas in Germany during World War II.1 The second part of this article discusses how economic sanctions are used in international relations as a non-violent means to punish or correct the behavior or policies of certain governments. The third part of this paper attempts to apply Ford’s moral critique of obliteration bombing analogously to the imposition of certain economic sanctions that affect civilian populations. This paper shows that imposing economic sanctions on basic goods and services that cause suffering to ordinary citizens of targeted countries is morally wrong and violates just war principles.
Recommended Citation
Genilo, Eric Marcelo O.
(2026)
"The Bombing of Cities and Economic Sanctions: A Comparative Moral Analysis Using the Catholic Just War Tradition,"
Landas: Vol. 38:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/landas/vol38/iss1/8