A classic presentation of the theory that a just war is a war of defence against aggression is:
Walzer, Michael,
Just and Unjust Wars (
New York:
Basic Books,
1977,
2nd edition 1992). An important recent criticism of the analogy between war and self-defence is: David Rodin,
War and Self-Defense (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002). My own further discussion of this topic is: Richard Norman,
Ethics, Killing and War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995).
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