I suppose it is time to address an issue I have been trying to avoid for a few weeks now. This is the single current event we are being inundated with via the Internet, television, newspaper and radio. And rightfully so, because we as a country are making history right now as we speak by waging war in Iraq.

But because of the media saturation, I had deliberately chosen not to write about the war in Iraq, not because I didn’t care about it, but because I had a difficult time taking a side, so in turn felt less than qualified to have an opinion about something I well, really didn’t have a clear-cut opinion about.

Then I started imagining war in a much broader and historical context. Our world’s history has been peppered with war and military conflict, dating back to biblical times. After some investigating, I discovered a Christian theory, named the Just War Doctrine, outlines major guidelines and reasons for war. I then applied this theory to the United State’s current military action in Iraq, and the following is my interpretation …

First off, I will state that although this doctrine has Catholic roots, I am by no means advocating Catholicism; I am simply analyzing a theory. Secondly, I am offering one of many possible interpretations, so don’t threaten me with death by flogging if what I say isn’t compatible with your thoughts. I am just trying to be open-minded.

That being said, let’s look at what the Just War Doctrine entails. Sixteen hundred years ago, St. Augustine of Hippo set out to answer the question, “When is it permissible to wage war, and what are the limitations?” He thought war was a logical extension of the act of governance, and defined two requirements for morally justifiable war: proper authority and proper cause.

Proper authority is obvious enough. In St. Augustine’s day, it was an emperor. Today, good old son of a Bush is our authority, as much as we’d like to deny it. He leads our country and our military.

But what about proper cause? This seems a bit broad to me, being as proper cause could be defined as anything from fear of persecution and attack to personal vendetta for attempting to kill one’s kin, particularly a father. For the answer, we turn to the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Just War Doctrine, and it reads: “[Catholic philosophy] … concedes to the State the full natural right of war, whether defensive, as in case of another’s attack in force upon it; offensive, where it finds it necessary to take the initiative in the application of force; or punitive, in the infliction of punishment for evil done against itself or, in some determined cases, against others.”

Whoa. That’s a mouthful, but I can find three natural rights to war under this doctrine. The first is in defense, or in response to a current attack. Although Iraq has no “Operation: American Freedom” or “Target: United States” bombing missions, President Bush argues that American planes flying patrol in Iraq are subject to Iraqi attack almost daily. That falls under the current attack category to me.

The second rationalization for war would be in offense, particularly when war is inevitable, or a first strike would optimize chances of victory. The Bush administration continues to support the fact the Iraq is harboring chemical and biological weapons, although Iraq has agreed not to. They also believe Iraq is joining forces with terrorists to plot attacks against the United States. A man such as Saddam Hussein has not hesitated to use chemical weapons and terrorist-like coercion against his own citizens, so I think he would have no qualms about nuking the people he hates.

The final validation for war is slightly harder to draw out. It is an after the fact act of justice, for an attack against an ally. Iran, Kuwait and Israel have been victims of Iraq’s aggressions, so to save them from Iraq, an attack would be justified in this instance.

Of course the Just War Doctrine is not without its pitfalls, including the disregard for the loss of human life.

Some would also argue it is too ancient to be applicable to current time, or it is too broad in general.

You cannot justify war solely through this doctrine. With so many distinctive views and opinions on war from so many different people, I thought I would offer a new perspective and apply a little philosophy and moral theory to modern day current events.