Experts debate pacifism, Just War

By Cara Quackenbush

Precision bombing, unpiloted war planes and human nature were among the topics debated at Tuesday's Bannan Center-sponsored event called "What should an American, Christian Response to Terrorism Be?"

Drawing attendees from all corners of the community in addition to students, staff and faculty, an overflowing recital hall welcomed Martin Cook, a noted professor of ethics at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton from the Archdiocese of Detroit who grappled with the question: "Is Just War-thinking no longer relevant or helpful?"

"Christians of the early period have agreed that the use of coercive force by the government was necessary to promote stability and order," Cook declared.

Gumbleton disagreed.

"There is no such thing as justified use of violence, especially in warfare," Gumbleton said.

Historically, the Catholic tradition has taken two approaches to warfare, according to William Spohn, director of the Bannan Center for Jesuit Education.

The Just War theory, defended by Cook, acknowledges that in a sinful and violent world, military force may be used under strict limits to defend against an unjust aggressor.

The Christian pacifist approach, defended by Gumbleton, takes inspiration from the examples of Jesus, who preached love of enemies and overcame evil not by force but by laying down his own life on the cross.

"Not only does [the question posed] continue to be relevant, but it is even more relevant today," Cook said. "Especially for Americans it is important to remember that there are very few places in the world that have experienced two centuries of relative peace. Sept. 11 has made us face our vulnerability, which I think is more realistic."

Military technology has evolved "at breathtaking speed" with ethical considerations in mind, said Cook. High-precision bombing and unpiloted planes are now able to hit a target within three or four feet, minimizing civilian deaths.

"If the question is can we fight a discriminant war, my answer is: better than at any time in human history," he said.

According to Bishop, however, 127 billion people were killed in wars in the 20th Century, and more than half of these casualties were non-combatants.

"War in modern times is total war," Bishop said. "War is no longer waged on battle fields. This means you eliminate discrimination between combatants and noncombatants."

The number of Afghany casualties during this conflict is approaching 5,000 and more than 10,000 have become homeless, making up a greater percentage of the small Afghan population that the percentae of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, he said.

"The country has been devastated. Dozens have been killed in villages with no miltary targets," Gumbleton said. "You don't read about this much in the U.S. media."

Gumbleton made suggestions of possible conflict resolution strategies other than bombing, such as turning to an international court to try Osama bin Laden, suggesting that the United States should do as it tells those involved in the Isreali-Palestinian conflict to do.

"We should follow the same advice that we give others," he said. "Talk to each other. Negotiate. Deal. Stop killing and reconcile."

In rebuttal, Cook pointed out the difference in rhetoric between the two experts.

"There seems to be a systematic misfit between the language of homily and of exhortation and the language of policy," he said.

Assuming that the conflict is about "total war" underestimates the depth of the conflict, according to Cook.

"I think you see what Al Qaeda want - they are talking about the destruction of the entire Western Civilization," he said.

Cook criticized wartime trials as "backward looking" and only effective once the enemy has been defeated. He pointed out that when U.S. soldiers ventured into the Al Qaeda cave network, they found evidence of plans for future bombings.

"Wartime trials can work. But the U.S. is not willing to participate," Gumbleton countered. "So we'll always have to live in a gated community, waiting for the next attack to happen."

Spohn emphasized that the event was designed as a dialogue with the intent of finding reason in both the Christian pacifist and the Just War positions. Its not a question of one side being irrational and the other side being rational, he said.

"In 1983, the American Bishops wrote that 'both pacifism and the Just war perspectives find their roots in the Christian Theological tradition by contributing to the moral vision we need in pursuit of human peace. We believe the two perspectives support and complement one another, each preserving the other from distortion,'" Spohn said.

Spohn also acknowledged that the event was quite timely, due to recent actions by the government, including Bush's Monday budget proposal of $379 billion to arm the U.S. military next year, the largest Pentagon increase in 21 years.

"The Just War kind of theory is really part of [the Bush administration's] rhetoric. They talk about discrimination, they talk about non-combatants. " he said. "We can hold them to account."

An individual can be a pacifist, according to the Catholic tradition. But if that individual becomes the head of a country, he or she takes on different responsibilities, Spohn said.

"You have a duty to defend the innocent," he said. "Other Christian groups would say you can't go into government at all if you are a Christian, but Catholics have not taken that hard of a line."

Father John Fitzpatrick of Mountain View left hopeful that the evening had opened a few minds, while a Los Altos resident had her mind made up when she came.

"I'm very anti-war, so I was very biased. They couldn't have done anything to sway my thinking," she said.

Los Gatos resident Scott Basham thought that the difference in rhetoric between homily and policy was too great to make an effective presentation.

"I felt like they were speaking different languages," Scott said. "They either chose not to or failed to address each other's points."

One woman thanked Father Locaelli.

"Thank you so much for hosting this event," she said. "People are hungry for this."