SO we are at war.
At least this is how the effort to rid the world of terrorism is being described. But this is no ordinary war. Ordinary wars are fought against a people or a nation state that can be identified. But this "enemy" is a network that stretches across the globe.
Most early Christians were pacifists. They refused to fight in wars of any kind because they felt it was better to die than to exercise violence. To this day there are many Christians who continue to hold to this honourable tradition.
But as Christianity became more widespread the teaching of the church changed. It was now thought right that Christians could fight, but only in certain circumstances. They could only fight if the war was a just war.
A war is said to be just only if it is a defence against aggression, if the intention is to restore a just peace, if force is used only as a last resort, if the decision to fight is made by legitimate authority, if the aims are limited to repel aggressors and restore justice, if the force used is proportional to the offence, if civilians are not targeted, and if there is a reasonable hope of success.
The trouble with this list of rules is that it applies to conventional warfare. How can we apply these rules to the fight against terrorism?
Aggressive
Terrorists certainly use aggressive means and just war rules do allow defence. So the United States has grounds to defend itself against such acts of violence.
But in our modern world what constitutes lawful authority? Surely the only authority we have is the United Nations. It can't be acceptable for a nation like the USA to gather together a coalition of nations and declare war independently.
Then there is the rule about proportionality. But what we have seen on our televisions is the most advanced war technology of the USA and Britain being used against people fighting with rifles and guns. No wonder people like Saddam Hussein want to acquire the same high-tech weapons.
Intention is also mentioned in the rules. But many Muslim countries feel that the real agenda of the USA is world domination not the bringing of terrorists to
justice.
And the final rule is that a war is only a just war if there is a reasonable hope that it can be won. But will military operations ever win the "war" against terrorism? Surely the only way to beat terrorism is political not military.
The last thing any of us want is for hostilities to spread beyond Afghanistan. If this happens people like bin Laden will have queues of recruits waiting to offer their services.
Michael Williams
Vicar of Bolton Parish Church.
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