War In Iraq And Just War Theory

• Just cause: In my opinion, the United States had no right to go into Iraq based solely on a theory that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. According to the Just War Theory, war is permissible only to confront “a real and certain danger," to protect innocent life, to preserve conditions necessary for decent human existence and to secure basic human rights.

• Competent authority: Just War Theory states that “War must be declared by those with responsibility for public order, not by private groups or individuals.” The War in Iraq was

• Comparative justice. In the case of the Iraq War, the negatives far outweigh any positives. We are still trying to repair the damage, and have not only caused unnecessary civilian casualties, but have tarnished the world’s view on America, possibly for good.

• Right intention: I’m sure that the United States had the right intentions in the beginning, but I think now, we’re just caught up in a battle that will never end unless we remove our troops.

• Last resort: According to the Just War Theory, for resort to war to be justified, all peaceful alternatives must have been exhausted. This was NOT the case in the war in Iraq. It seems that no non-violent alternatives were even considered.

• Proportionality: According to Just War Theory, this means that “the damage to be inflicted and the costs charged by war must be proportionate to the good expected by taking up arms.” We are now billions of dollars in debt because of our involvement in the Iraq War.

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