Defensive war

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A defensive war is one of the causes that justify war by the criteria of the Just War tradition. It means a war where at least one nation is mainly trying to defend itself from another, as opposed to a war where both sides are trying to invade and conquer each other.

Examples

The invasions of Darius during the Greco-Persian Wars. Greeks were defending their homeland from the Persians.
Various invasions in World War II, such as the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and the Battle of Britain and the Second Sino-Japanese War were offensive wars.
The Croatian war of Independence was a defensive war, where Croatia defended its territorial integrity and independence from an outside aggression.

Defensive war

Examples

See also