I am struggling with this war. I am sick of having to defend my
right to participate in a peace vigil without being regarded as
un-American. I took comfort in the early days of this war that it
would be over very quickly.
I am struggling with this war. I am sick of having to defend my right to participate in a peace vigil without being regarded as un-American. I took comfort in the early days of this war that it would be over very quickly. I was deluding myself.
As the weeks go by, it becomes apparent to me that this will not be at all like the first Gulf War. Why didn’t the elder Bush effectively deal with Saddam Hussein 10 years ago? I am not naïve enough to believe that the situation in Iraq would be rosy without Mr. Hussein, but it would have been better than the mess we find ourselves in today.
I am praying for peace, for our troops as well as for the people of Iraq. I am also finally getting around to reading all I can about the theory of a “just war.”
In the Catholic teaching on this issue, there are no easy answers. Contrary to some political pundits, Saddam Hussein is not Hitler. He has been regarded as both friend and foe to our government, depending upon which way the political winds were blowing. As we embark on a second war against his regime, I must examine whether or not this war fits the criteria of a just war.
The Catholic Church has determined that whether lethal force may be used is governed by the following criteria:
• Just Cause: force may be used only to correct a grave evil;
• Comparative Justice: to override the presumption against the use of force the injustice suffered by one party must significantly outweigh that suffered by the other;
• Legitimate Authority: only duly constituted public authorities may use deadly force or wage war;
• Right Intention: force may be used only in a truly just cause and solely for that purpose;
• Probability of Success: arms may not be used in a futile cause or in a case where disproportionate measures are required to achieve success;
• Proportionality: the overall destruction expected from the use of force must be outweighed by the good to be achieved;
• Last Resort: force may be used only after all peaceful alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted.
The people of Iraq have suffered greatly under the current regime. Our government certainly has the right intention, and a high probability of success. I am not sure that the proportionality of the destruction to the Iraqi people is in keeping with the concept of a just war. I also believe we were not at the last resort stage, because where we are now is exactly the same place that we have been since the first Gulf War.
The just war tradition also imposes strict moral standards for the conduct of armed conflict:
• Noncombatant Immunity: civilians may not be the object of direct attack, and military personnel must take due care to avoid and minimize indirect harm to civilians;
• Proportionality: efforts must be made to attain military objectives with no more force than is militarily necessary and to avoid disproportionate collateral damage to civilian life and property;
• Right Intention: even in the midst of conflict, the aim of political and military leaders must be peace with justice.
It is apparent to me that our military will attempt to fully comply with the guidelines outlined above. But mistakes happen, as was the case recently when a van full of civilians was fired upon for not stopping at a military checkpoint. I have seen pictures of families fleeing, dodging bullets as they run. I have seen the heartbreaking picture of a little girl, panic-stricken, as she runs across the desert.
Of everything I have heard or read so far, this is the most distressing aspect of the war to me. Many innocent people will be killed. Some will be our own people, but most will be poor people who had the bad luck to be born in Iraq instead of Iowa. Our military will try to keep the “collateral damage” to a minimum, while the Iraqi military will not do so.
Their use of soldiers dressed as civilians, the suicide bombings and the use of children as human shields goes against all accepted military code of conduct. I have no doubt that in the end, the coalition forces will ultimately prevail, but at what cost?
I believe this war will have severe long-term consequences which could foreshadow similar military undertakings in the near future. I am trying to come to grips with the concept of a just war. In the meantime, I will pray for peace.
