America War Efforts and Just War Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

America War Efforts and Just War Theory - Essay Example Admittedly, the 9/11 terror strikes were heinous acts that cannot be justified under humanitarian principles. Alan Dowd asserts that the 9/11 attacks were not an attack on the United States alone but on all of human civilization. The author explains in detail the meaning of civilization and cites examples from recent history when it was saved by American military intervention, the chief examples of which are the two World Wars waged in the last century. Continuing in this vein, Down equates the threat posed by networks such as Al Qaeda to that of totalitarian rulers of the past, including Hitler and Stalin. He tries to draw an analogy between the ongoing military engagements of the United States to its major confrontations against Nazism and Stalinism. Dowd ends the article on a hopeful note, that America and its coalition partners will prevail in the War on Terror, just as they had done on crucial junctures of recent history. It is important to note that Alan Dowd does not make a serious effort to justify the War on Terror with the conditions laid down by the Just War theory. The author had not undertaken this task probably because he had a weak case to argue. The invasion and occupation of Iraq is a breach of several of the Just War conditions, the most blatant of which is the numerous civilian fatalities that the war has caused. The article written by Charles Kegley Jr and Gregory Raymond takes a critical look at the doctrine of Pre-emptive war, which was the cornerstone of the eight-year term of George W. Bush. The authors explain the weak premises upon which this doctrine is based and how it fails the standards set by the Just War theory.