Nuclear war or nuclear peace? The horror of the first and the paradox of the second have shaped much of the debate about nuclear weapons in the last several decades. This book offers an interpretive analysis of contemporary American just war theory by focusing on its three most prominent exponents, Michael Walzer, Paul Ramsey, and William V. O'Brien. These three theorists also reflect the influence of three major religious traditions on the current nuclear debate: Jewish, Protestant and Roman Catholic, respectively. In addition, they also reflect three academic disciplines which have been actively engaged in the debate: political science, theology and international law. The interplay of these various trinities offers a fascinating matrix for discussing the conduct of war (jus in bello) and the two principles of proportionally and non-combatant immunity which are at the heart of the contemporary academic and policy debate about nuclear weapons. After giving a comprehensive treatment of the three theorists, Professor Sichol focuses on the bondedness of peoples as the core value that underlines and gives coherence to the just war tradition as it has been expounded in the past and as it remains vital today in the nuclear arms debate.