How should wars end? What counts as a just peace treaty? What does it mean to wrap up war in an ethical way? By drawing on the concepts and values of the just war tradition, this article seeks to develop a coherent, plausible and relevant account of jus post bellum. These war termination principles are applied to recent cases, including the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo, and the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. The article features a critical discussion of such topics as the vindication of rights in a peace settlement; proportionality and unconditional surrender; socio-economic sanctions and the protection of civilians in the post-war period; war crimes trials; fiscal restitution; and the rehabilitation of a country defeated in war.
