Editing Just war theory (section)

===''Jus in bello''===
Once war has begun, just war theory (''jus in bello'') also directs how [[combatant]]s are to act or should act:

;[[Distinction (law)|Distinction]]: Just war conduct is governed by the principle of distinction. The acts of war should be directed towards enemy combatants, and not towards [[non-combatant]]s caught in circumstances that they did not create. The prohibited acts include bombing civilian residential areas that include no [[legitimate military target]]s, committing acts of [[terrorism]] or [[reprisal]] against civilians or prisoners of war (POWs), and attacking [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutral]] targets. Moreover, combatants are not permitted to attack enemy combatants who have surrendered, or who have been captured, or who are injured and not presenting an immediate lethal threat, or who are [[attacks on parachutists|parachuting from disabled aircraft]] and are not [[airborne forces]], or who are [[shipwreck]]ed.
;[[Proportionality (law)#International law|Proportionality]]: Just war conduct is governed by the principle of proportionality. Combatants must make sure that the harm caused to civilians or civilian property is not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated by an attack on a [[legitimate military target|legitimate military objective]]. This principle is meant to discern the correct balance between the restriction imposed by a corrective measure and the severity of the nature of the prohibited act.
;[[Military necessity]]: Just war conduct is governed by the principle of military necessity. An attack or action must be intended to help in the defeat of the enemy; it must be an attack on a [[legitimate military target|legitimate military objective]], and the harm caused to civilians or civilian property must be proportional and not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. Jus in bello allows for military necessity and does not favor a specific justification in allowing for counter-attack recourse.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mégret |first=Frédéric |date=2006 |title=''Jus in Bello'' and ''Jus ad Bellum'' |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/25660075 |journal=Proceedings of the Asil Annual Meeting |volume=100 |pages=121–123 |doi=10.1017/S0272503700024022 |jstor=25660075 |issn=0272-5037}}</ref> This principle is meant to limit excessive and unnecessary death and destruction.
;Fair treatment of [[prisoners of war]]: Enemy combatants who surrendered or who are captured no longer pose a threat. It is therefore wrong to torture them or otherwise mistreat them.
;No means [[malum in se]]: Combatants may not use weapons or other methods of warfare that are considered evil, such as [[mass rape]], forcing enemy combatants to fight against their own side or using weapons whose effects cannot be controlled (e.g., [[nuclear weapon|nuclear]]/[[biological weapons]]).