The aim of the Just War Theory is to provide a guide to the right way for states to act in potential conflict situations. This theory is exclusively intended for states as opposed to individuals. St. Augustine believed that the only just reason for going to war was to maintain peace. In the book, The Just War, Paul Ramsey quotes St. Augustine on the main idea of going to war. “We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. B

Being a practicing Catholic and a member of the church, I respect the Vatican’s stance on the current situation in Iraq, but I also strongly disagree with its comments on the war and believe strongly that coalition’s war on Iraq is a just war. The two points listed in the above paragraph from the Vatican state that the United States is lacking just cause due to a lack of evidence and that not the ultimate authority, which is the United Nations, has not given its support behind a U.S. led coalition war. In response to their argument, the U.S. and the U.N. have given the Iraqi government 12 years of sanctions and rules to follow at which they have failed miserably. To many viewers of this war, the 12 years of deceitful activity is evidence enough. If the world knows he has these weapons of mass destruction then why should the world wait to see them possibly used by terrorists against America and her allies? As for the second argument that the Vatican makes on whether or not the U.N. is the ultimate authority, the United States is a recognized and elected democracy that is acknowledged around the world as a lawful government. I think the U.N. will only do so much and in the shadows of 9/11, I think the U.S. should do everything in their power to prevent another tragedy that occurred on that horrific day. If the U.N. would do what they stand for then they would take harder measures on Iraq and not tolerate deceitful behavior as they have for the past twelve years. Since 9/11, I think every country has the right to defend themselves from governments who support terrorists, and if the U.N. will not convene then they countries should take their own measures to ensure the safety of their people. The U.N. lost their ultimate authority the day they would not put more pressure on Iraq to cooperate with weapons inspectors. There is no reason why the United States should not defend us against a regime that has nothing but hatred for the U.S. and that has the eagerness to use weapons of mass destruction.

There are six conditions that must be present in order for a war to be considered a just war according to St. Augustine. First, the war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority. This means that controlling governments of nations, not some isolated individuals, are allowed to declare and wage war against another nation. Only appropriately constituted public authorities may wage war. Secondly, the war must be fought for all the right reasons. Good intentions could include, creating, restoring, or keeping a just peace. Other conditions that would be deemed acceptable could be righting a wrong and/or assisting the innocent. This is one of the Just War conditions that are primarily

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