This book examines the moral choices faced by US political and military leaders in deciding when and how to employ force, from the American Revolution to the present-day.

1. Just American Wars? From Lieber's Code to the Cold War and Beyond Section 1: The Ethics of Going to War 2. Arguing the American Revolution: Just Cause, Legitimate Authority, and Right Intention 3. When is Enough Enough? Last Resort and Likelihood of Success in the War of 1812 4. Dominos, Ego, and National Honor: The Ethics of Going to, and Prolonging, the Vietnam War Section 2: The Ethics of How War is Fought 5. The Texas Rangers, Yellow Jack, and Veracruz: Proportionality and Discrimination in the Mexican-American War 6. Truman, Hiroshima, and Contemporary Nuclear Issues: The Intersection of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello Section 3: Bringing War to a Morally and Politically Satisfying End 7. The Taft Commission in Manila: Political Order, Justice, and Conciliation after the Spanish American War 8. Vindication or Vengeance in 1919? The Contrasting Policies of Wilson, Clemenceau, and Lloyd George 9. The Morality of Victory in Contemporary Warfare 10. Conclusion: Just War Dilemmas since 9/11