Machiavelli and Just War: Between Necessity and Hope

Abstract

This essay focuses on Machiavelli’s concept of the “just war.” Through an analysis of textual references related to necessity and hope, I will argue that Machiavelli offers an original definition of the iustum bellum, a definition that, encompassing the military, political, and conceptual spheres, differs from previous classical and Christian traditions. Machiavelli presents the “just war” as a specific type of war, justified by subjective and objective evaluations of situations in which death is the only alternative.