Jus Ad Bellum (Part 4)

As you can probably tell by the title, this is my fourth entry about the Justice of War. The last post primarily dealt with the spheres of authority and how some nations view it as within their realm of authority to exercise control or dominion over other countries. The objection I often get to this is that Saddam was a terrible man, did great evil to his people and meant for great evil in the area and the world. In this post, I would like to offer further clarification of MY OPINION (which I happen to believe is based on scripture)

I liken the above scenario with Saddam to a more domestic situation (and objectors tend to agree with this likening). Lets us suppose my neighbor and his wife have not been getting along. Then let us further suppose that I see bruises on her face someday and she confides to me that she has been beaten by her husband. What moral authority do I have in this situation? Do I have the moral authority to stop it and keep it from happening again? If so, what measures are appropriate? Do I have the moral authority to punish the man?

Scripture clearly teaches that we are to care for the oppressed and to help them and love them. As a neighbor, I have a moral (and probably legal) obligation to see that this situation is rectified, that the woman is protected, the man is punished, and that it the situation does not repeat itself. Justice demands it and justice must be served. BUT, Justice will only be served justly. If I attempt to serve justice in an unjust manner, then justice will be demanded for me.

If I went into the man's house and gave him bruises in the same way and manner he gave them to his wife, that would be clearly wrong. Why? Paul tells us in Romans, that God has given the sword (and perhaps we can also add the whip) not to men as individuals, but to those who govern. The governing authorities must intervene in the lives of their 'subjects' to protect and punish as is their responsibility. God has granted that authority to the state/nation/governor. It is my responsibility to assist them and notify them and even to hold them accountable.

Now, how does this relate to sovereign nation/states? When a dictator or regime or political system of a nation/state commits wrong or evil upon its own citizenry, what is the responsibility of the neighboring states/nations (in our small world, its an easy case to say all nations neighbor each other)? In the domestic situation described in the previous paragraphs, the neighbor had the responsibility to care for the oppressed and assist her in her plight. The neighbor also had the responsibility of entrusting the matter to the governing authorities. So also in this case. The difference, however, is that the governing authority here is the One who is sovereign over all creation, the One who establishes nations and their boundaries and their governing authorities. The neighboring countries must offer shelter to the oppressed and then entrust the matter to the vengeance of God.

Let me conclude with this small note. When the authorities of a sovereign nation commit a crime against another nation or its citizenry, then it is the responsibility of the victimized nation to retaliate and punish and perhaps even conquer the guilty country. The extent of the punishment must be fair and proportional, worth the money and lives/blood spent, and must be carried out by the proper channels of authority. This however is another subject for another time (known as Jus In Bello as opposed to Jus Ad Bellum).

The point of this post, and the previous, was to show from a biblical perspective the unjustness of the current doctrine of foreign policy of the United States, i.e. that of intervening in the internal affairs of other nations. It is not about the justness of the current conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq. We did not go to those countries, as some claim, to settle their own injustices, nor would it be right for us to have done so. Our reason for going to Iraq was altogether different, but I disagree with that reason also and will blog about it another time.