Just War & Peace

Just War & Peace

Iraq
1. US though Iraq had Nuclear weapons but when they investigated it, they found none.
2. America received it's oil supply from Iraq,but they did not want to pay any more.
3. US wanted to help Iraqi civilians from the human rights abuses made by the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.
4. The Us joined the war on George Bush's orders. The UK joined the war on Tony Blair's orders, but the UN said both would be illegal.
5. The UN attempted to resolve the problems with sanctions, inspections and diplomacy. The Americans and British though war was last resort but others disagreed.
6. American Bombs killed many civilians unintentionally. Hussein murdered many people due to their religion/beliefs. Money used for humanitarian causes in Iraq was used for weapons.
7. One of the reasons to go to war was to defeat the dicatator, Hussein.
8. Hussein disappeared and stopped supporting its country. Soon after he was captured and killed.
Darfur
1. Cause of conflict: People moving to other people's land to find food and water = economical and environmental.
  1. Long standing hatred between groups; possibly related to ethnicity and religious beliefs.
  2. National Pride: Anti-government groups of South Sudan want to become independent.
  3. Remote Location: police and government only find out when there is a large conflict in an area much longer after the incident as of lack of transport and communication services.
2. How did the UN deal with it?
  1. Negotiation between anti-government groups and government
  2. Threats of Sanctions
  3. Peacekeeping forces
  4. Success or Failure: a failure but they are still trying.
Definitions:
1. Conflict Resolution - bringing a fight or struggle to a peaceful resolution
2. Reconciliation - Bringing together people who were opposed to each other
3. The United Nations - An international body set up to promote world peace and co-operation.
4. Weapons of mass destruction - Weapons that can easily destroy large areas or numbers of people.
5. World Peace - The ending of war throughout the whole world (basic aim of UN)
How does the UN try to keep peace?
1. Arms Control and Disarment
2. Organising Peace Talks
3. Trade Restrictions
4. Peace Keeping
5. MIlitary Action
Just War Theory
1. Devised by Thomas Aquinas
2. All Christians must abide by these rules
3. 7 Criteria for going to war:
  1. The cause of the war must be just. e.g. To develop a democracy, to help an allied country.
  2. The war must be fought on the authority of the government
  3. The war must be though with the intention of restoring peace
  4. It must be a last resort
  5. There must be a reasonable chance of success
  6. The methods used to fight the war must avoid killing civilians, and you may not invade public places.
  7. The methods used must be proportional to the cause.
Christianity & War
1. Pacifism
  1. Refusing to fight in wars
  2. Reasons why Christians have become pacifists:
    1. The teachings of Jesus about turning the other cheek and loving your enemies
    2. The belief that peace will only come if people refuse to fight in wars.
    3. The fact that horrible things have happened to innocent civilians
    4. The fifth commandment bands killing
    5. Jesus told Peter: 'Put your sword back in its place for all who draws the sword will die by the sword.'
  3. Dietrich Bonheoffer
    1. Born in 1906, German Christian Pacifist who opposed the Nazis after their attack on the Jews in 1933
    2. He was a chaplain, lecturer, pastor, theologist.
    3. He made a broadcast criticizing Hitler's leadership.
    4. Told other Christian Leaders in Britain the 'truth about Nazis'.
    5. He was arrested because: he made public statement criticizing jews, told his students that by being Christian you should oppose the Nazis, he had had contact with others who had become arrested.
      1. After he was let out of jail (one week), he gathered meetings with Army Generals who too wanted to overthrow Hitler/Nazis. They soon created plots to assassinate Hitler. Bonheoffer was arrested again. Soon after an Army Genera; planted a bomb in a conference but Hitler escaped. The connection between the conspiracy and Bonheoffer was investigated. He was sent to a concentration camp, then executed in 1945.
2. Just War
  1. Jesus said that Christians must obey the rules of the government, so if the government says they should go to war then they should follow their orders.
  2. When Jesus, was asked whether Jews should pay taxes to the Romans, Jesus said 'give to Caeser what belongs to Caeser and give god what belongs to god'
  3. Jesus said 'if you have a purse take it, and also a bag, and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one'
  4. Jesus never condemned soldiers.

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	Created by Grace Pulling almost 11 years ago