The People have given their governors no power to wage unjust war, for they never had such power themselves.

Explanation

The government's war power is delegated by the People — since no individual has the natural right to wage unjust war, the People could not delegate that right to their government.

Where this applies

• The government has no authority to wage an unjust war because the People never had that right to delegate.
• You can't give the government a power you don't possess yourself.
• The People never had the right to wage unjust war, so they couldn't delegate it.

See also

• 2.2.2 The derivative power cannot be greater than the original from which it is derived.
• 12.10.4 An aggressor who puts himself into a state of war with another and unjustly invades another's right can never, by such unjust war, come to have a right over the conquered.