---
title: "Doctrine of Double Effect: Ethics Explained | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Doctrine of Double Effect allows for unintended harm if it is proportionate and not the means to a good end, crucial for ethics in policy and diplomacy."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/doctrine-of-double-effect"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The doctrine of double effect holds that an action with both a good intended effect and a foreseen harmful effect is permissible only if the harm is not the means to the good and is proportionate.
- What are the four conditions of the doctrine of double effect?
- How does the doctrine of double effect differ from consequentialism?
- Why is the doctrine relevant to the just-war tradition and international humanitarian law?
- How should a UPSC GS4 candidate apply the doctrine in a case study?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The doctrine of double effect holds that an action with both a good intended effect and a foreseen harmful effect is permissible only if the harm is not the means to the good and is proportionate.

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Example

In September 2021 the US Department of Defense defended, then retracted, the Kabul drone strike that killed ten civilians, with commentators assessing it against the doctrine of double effect's proportionality and intention conditions.

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