Abstract

Charles Mills’ work was (and continues to be) extremely influential in political philosophy, political science, and philosophy of race, but few authors working in philosophical just war theory and military ethics have discussed his work. Yet, as this chapter demonstrates, Mills’ work on the Racial Contract and white supremacy as a political system has profound implications for just war theory. Recognizing the colonialist origins of many Western states challenges important jus ad bellum criteria, including legitimate authority, and the use of ideal theorizing in just war thinking has masked yet replicated colonialist tropes about the nature of war and shaped the language of just war theory in ways that reflect histories of colonialism and white supremacy.