Age of Reason

Saying No to Unjust Wars

From joshyelon

I think we have a remarkable ally in the form of the Catholic Church.  They have beautifully and concisely summarized the liberal position on war, in a simple four-bullet-point format.  Here is a copy:

"The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

* the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
* all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
* there must be serious prospects of success;
* the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition."

posted by conchis @ 11:59 PM