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In this article Walzer’s theory of the (in)justice of humanitarian intervention is analysed, with a focus on the issue of iusta causa. More specifically, Walzer’s theory is interpreted as providing both a more or less “communitarian” justification and a more or less “cosmopolitan” justification of military intervention for humanitarian purposes. It is argued that his “shock the conscience of mankind” argument, although a possible solution to the ambiguity as a result of his “absence of fit” argument, gives rise to an inquiry into the limits, foundation and adequacy of this criterion.