A very good question, sweetheart . . .
Melbourne Age February 1 2003
Is there really such a thing as a just war? And whatever happened to Osama bin Laden? By Hugh Mackay.
'Dad, what's a just war?"
"Not now, sweetheart, I'm busy. Can we talk later?"
"But you said if I ever needed to ask you anything . . ."
"OK, OK. What's the question?"
"A just war. How can any war be just?"
"Ah. Yes. Good question. How did this come up, sweetheart?"
"You know, like, Iraq and everything? I heard someone on television - a bishop I think he was - saying there is such a thing as a just war. Did he mean a holy war?"
"Well, no, not exactly. A holy war is when people fight over their religious beliefs. When they think they really have God on their side."
"But if they are fighting each other over religion, wouldn't they all think God was on their side?"
"Absolutely, sweetheart. That's exactly what happens in a holy war. But it's rather silly describing any war as holy - war is ugly, brutal, violent and repressive, and holiness is supposed to be about the opposite of all those things. Anyway, history shows us that war is a completely futile way of trying to settle conflicts. Some time in the future, I'm sure people will look back and wonder how humans could have been so stupid as to go to war over anything. No one ever really wins, but a lot of people suffer and the result never turns out quite the way anyone intended. Never."
"So you're against war?"
"Everyone's against war, angel. How could anyone be in favour of killing each other and destroying each other's cities and towns? You think war is about soldiers, but innocent civilians, even children, are always killed in wars. Of course I'm against war . . . aren't you?"
"So are you, like, a pacifist?"
"Well, no, not exactly, although part of me would like to be. I admire pacifists, but I think there are times when there really is no alternative to fighting."
"So that's what people mean by a just war?"
"I guess so. A just war is when you have to defend yourself because someone has attacked you. Or when a friendly country is attacked and its leaders ask you to help them defend themselves."
"So if America attacks Iraq and Iraq defends itself, that wouldn't be a just war for America, but it would be for Iraq. And if Iraq asks one of its friends to help it defend itself against America, that would be a just war for the other country, right?"
"It's not quite that simple, I'm afraid. There are such things as good guys and bad guys, sweetheart. Saddam Hussein is a bad guy, so we don't think anyone would be justified in defending him."
"But if he doesn't attack anyone, how can invading his country be a just war? According to you, invading another country would always be wrong."
"Well, usually, but, see, everyone thinks Saddam has these really awful weapons . . ."
"Worse than America's?"
"Not worse, no. But, well, because he's a bad guy, people think he might decide to use those weapons against some other country some day, so America wants to invade his country and destroy the weapons before he can use them."
"Has he threatened to use them? Like, who does he want to attack?"
"He hasn't actually threatened to use them against anyone in particular - except the Americans, of course, if they invade his country."
"And us? Aren't we going to invade Iraq, too? We sent some soldiers off last week. I saw that on TV, too."
"No one really knows, sweetheart. We mightn't actually be planning to invade. We might be just trying to scare Saddam into giving up his weapons. We might be calling his bluff."
"But if he isn't planning to attack anyone, wouldn't that mean Saddam won't use his weapons unless he has to defend Iraq against an attack? So wouldn't attacking him be the best way of making sure he does use his weapons?"
"That's logical, but I guess our government must think there's a huge risk he will use them on, on . . . on someone else if we don't get in first."
"Our life skills teacher said the end never justifies the means. Was she wrong?"
"I don't know, honey, I really don't know."
"By the way, whatever happened to Osama bin Laden? I thought he was supposed to be the world's number one bad guy. Is Saddam even worse?"
"They're both pretty bad. They're terrorists, see? They both place a low value on human life."
"Hmm. Dad, are we still holding little children behind razor wire in those detention centres?"
"We are, sweetheart."
"So are we good guys or bad guys?"
"Good guys, definitely. No more questions, OK?"
Hugh Mackay is an author and social researcher.