Can preventive war be justified?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Can preventive war be justified?
Position‹2 of 3›: No, preventative war cannot be justified

This position holds that preventive war can never be justified. Opponents argue that it rests on predictions that cannot be verified, that it amounts to aggression against a state that has not attacked, and that it destroys the rule limiting war to self-defence.

Supporting arguments · 2

It rests on a prediction that cannot be tested, and so can justify anything
Attacking a state that has not attacked is aggression, whatever it is called