Preemption

Much of the world has had misgivings, to say the least, about the new U.S. foreign policy of preemption. Some have argued that preemptive attacks can never be just while others argue that in certain extreme cases a war of preemption can be just. Others, still, give much looser parameters for when a war of preemption is just. In this paper I will ask whether or not preemption is ever acceptable and just and then apply the answer to this question to the particular example of Iraq and George Bush's war.

When is a war ethical? Some would say never because all wars bring only death and destruction. In this view, wars are never ethical and we should all adopt some form of pacifism. What about people who enjoy war or death or destruction or are willing to witness these atrocities in order to fulfill their own desires for material gain? Are we to turn the other cheek? Are there not times that demand we take up arms? No amount of pacifism would have prevented Hitler from conquering all of Europe. There are times when wars, no matter how disturbing, must be fought. In such cases are we infringing on our own ethics or are there times when wars can be just?

Over the last 1500 years the Western doctrine that has pillared considerations of war and centered debates about war has been the Judeo-Christian Theory of Just Cause. Developed by Saint Augustine and then later polished by Thomas Aquinas, Just Cause Theory attempts to answer four questions: 1) Who has the authority to declare war? 2) What reasons are necessary and sufficient to declare war? 3) What special considerations should influence the declaration of war? 4) What means are just in a war, in reference to armed antagonist and unarmed bystanders? In answering these questions Just War theory has developed seven basic principles that determine whether a war is just or unjust. Five of these principles comprise considerations about "justice on the way to war" (Jus ad bellum). The remaining two principles take into account considerations of "justice in the midst of war" (Jus in bello). While presenting each of these principles I will also ask "can a preemptive war satisfy this condition" and "was this provision fulfilled in the case of the Iraq War?"

The first Just