A instrumentalização da guerra justa: uma análise polemológica da legitimação da guerra contemporânea

Abstract

The monograph explores war as a complex, recurring and structuring social phenomenon in the history of human societies. Far from being merely an instrument of military action, war represents a symbolic arena of dispute, where values, ideologies and interests are deeply interwined. Drawing upon classical authors such as Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Marx and Gaston Bouthoul, the research considers war as a social, political and cultural phenomenon. The evolution of the concept of just war is also discussed, from its roots in Christian philosophy to its contemporary theoretical frameworks. The critical analysis is limited to the examination and conceptual application on the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, highlighting the sociological, political and symbolic factors that contributed to the legitimization of the conflict. Its objective is to analyze how major military powers appropriate the idea of just war to legitimize their actions in 21st-century armed conflicts. The hypothesis is that it has been instrumentalized to create ethical and moral narratives capable of producing artificial consensus within public opinion, converting strategic actions into ethical imperatives. In turn, this process reinforces the maintenance of hegemonic structures in the international system. The research is basic, descriptive in nature, with a qualitative approach and inductive method, based on bibliographic review and documentary analysis. By critically examining the boundaries between ethics and power in the use of force, the study highlights the importance of understanding war beyond its operational dimension, which is essential to formulating more effective public defense policies. The aim is to offer conceptual tools that may guide the strategic actions of the Brazilian Navy in line with the principles of International Law and the values of sovereignty, responsibility and prudence in the exercise of military power. Throughout history, the adoption of seemingly ethical causes ended up serving as a subterfuge for manipulating a narrative that morally supports the use of force, continuing the tradition of interventions by hegemonic powers to maintain and/or expand their interests.