One of the more fundamental principles of Just War Theory is the idea that no just war can come out of unjust intentions or methods. For a war to be judged “just,” it is necessary that the immediate goals of the conflict and the means by which the cause is achieved be “right” - which is to say, be moral, fair, just, etc. A just war cannot, for example, be the consequence of a desire to greedily seize land and evict its inhabitants.
It is easy to confuse “Just Cause” with “Right Intentions” because both seem to speak about goals or aims, but whereas the former is about the basic principles for which one is fighting, the latter has more to do with the immediate goals and the means by which they are to be achieved.
The difference between the two can be best illustrated through the fact that a Just Cause may be pursued through wrong intentions. For example, a government might launch a war for the just cause of expanding democracy, but the immediate intentions of that war may be to assassinate every world leader who even expresses doubts about democracy. The mere fact that a country is waving a banner of freedom and liberty does not mean that the same country is planning on achieving those goals through fair and reasonable means.
Unfortunately, humans are complex creatures and often perform actions with multiple intersecting intentions. As a result, it is possible for the same action to have more than one intention, not all of which are just. For example, a nation might launch a war against another with the intention of eliminating a dictatorial government (in the cause of expanding liberty), but also with the intention of installing a democratic government which is more favorable to the attacker. Toppling a tyrannical government may be a just cause, but toppling an unfavorable government in order to get one you like is not; which is the controlling factor in evaluating the war?
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