Quote Originally Posted by Abu Suleyman View Post
Yes and no. The ideas that you presented there are all different ideas of "Just War" from what people mean today when they say just war.
The difference here is that between jus ad bellum (that is, whether the reason for war is morally just) and jus in bello (that is, whether the manner in which the war is fought is morally just). Certainly attention the the latter increased exponentially during the 20th (and 21st) century. However, the idea of laws of armed conflict are considerably older than this (especially in Islam), and although ancient and medieval warfare often seems unlimited, there were also a great many examples of self-restraint (usually on a combination of normative and practical grounds).

Personally, I think these changes are a good thing--the "ends justify the means" is a very slippery slope, and I would like to think that the society I live in tries very hard not to slide too far down it, even if the opponent does.