Is there such thing as a "just" war ?

During class on Thursday, I found myself to be bothered by how the concept of just war was excluded from the conversation. I did not raise my hand to talk about it so I did not help that case, however, I got thinking. The debate of whether a just war can even exist is something so complex that a debate could last forever. It has been circulating my mind and I think I have come to some personal opinion. Going back to the general concept of perspective, I feel the determination of what contributes to a just war is dependent on who is speaking. Similar to how we couldn’t praise Montezuma for abiding by his culture while completely condemning Columbus for doing the same, with the only difference being that Montezuma became the victim and Columbus did not. In the case of war, one side may see it as a “just” experience simply because they were victorious in the fight. 

However, I do think some general qualities could be applied to a “just” war. Relating to its morality and representation of democracy. There are scenarios in which the perspective dictates whether something appears to be good or evil, however, I believe there are some situations that are objectively moral and good. For example, if the Spanish conquest of the Americas is to be considered a war, it could be considered moral from the Spaniards that felt entitled to the land. Conversely, the Indians could refer to the conquest as immoral since it was based on discrimination and developing a hierarchy. Additionally, the word “war” has violent and partisan connotations to it that adds further contradiction between both “just” and “war”. 

This is a just a couple thoughts I’ve been having, I would love to hear what some other viewpoints are on this issue of the existence of a “just” war.