Iraq an unjust war, Walzer argues

Michael Walzer, renowned political theorist and professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, criticized America's involvement in Iraq as "unjust," arguing that the administration had lost its moral compass, at a discussion in Butler College last night.

Walzer's speech, entitled "Can Any War Be Just?" was the second in a series of talks on "The Just Society" organized by the Pace Center.

As opposed to the first Gulf War — "a classic just war" — Walzer said the current conflict was unjustified in that it has pitted the country "against a distant and speculative threat which may or may not materialize," and left the United States "living with the dangerous consequences of military occupation."

"War is the business of killing," Walzer, who also edits the left-wing quarterly magazine Dissent, said. "Nonetheless there are moral principles that still need to be defended even in the midst of the horror of war."

Addressing the administration's methods in the war on terrorism, Walzer, who researches political theory and moral philosophy, said there should be a prohibition on torture except in the most extreme circumstances.

"I believe in doing justice until the heavens are about to fall, and then doing whatever you can to prevent them from falling," he said. "You have to feel the force of breaking the rule so you don't do it too often."

To ensure that torture is not adopted lightly, he added, "Every member of Congress should undergo waterboarding," a form of torture U.S. forces allegedly use in which suspects are held under water until they nearly drown, and then revived.

What makes a war just?

Citing examples ranging from the Franco-Prussian War to the two Gulf Wars, Walzer divided his talk into three parts: justice when deciding to go to war, justice in war and justice in postwar settlements. Employing Just War theory, Walzer explained three justifications for engaging in military conflict.

The first is self-defense and the defense of others or, as Walzer put it, "If I am attacked on the street, I have a right to defend myself. If you see me on the street, you have the right, even the obligation to defend me."

The second justifiable reason to go to war is preemption. This form of aggression, he said, is only justified if the attack is imminent, unlike the situation in Iraq. Finally, Walzer argued that humanitarian intervention can justify war: "We cannot sit by and watch people being murdered," he said.

For each military decision, Walzer said, planners must consider the possible positive and negative consequences, which he calls the "Double Effect."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Waltzer's lecture was jointly-sponsored by Butler and Wilson Colleges, the International Center and the Office of Religious Life and held in Butler's 1915 Room.