Sunday 27 March 2011

31st March - Just War and Terrorism

Reading; Boyle Just War Doctrine and the Military Response to Terrorism

First, take some time to think about war and terrorism. What is war? Which (if any) wars do you think were/are just? What links them? What is terrorism? Is it possible to have a ‘war on terrorism’? Is terrorism ever the right thing?

1. What is Boyle’s main thesis (idea). Try and set it out as simply as you can as follows;

Premise A

Premise B

Premise C

Which all together lead to

Conclusion

Think about how the premises lead to the conclusion.

2. What kind of actions does Boyle take JWT (Just War Theory) to be evaluating? Is this too wide/narrow?

3. What is terrorism? What is its intent, and who does it harm, according to Boyle? Can you think of actions we call terrorism which don’t fit this bill?

4. What are Aquinas’ 3 conditions for just war? What are the reasons for each?

5. Why doesn’t the UN count as proper authority? What do you make of this claim?

6. Does Aquinas see just war as punitive? Why? What do you make of this? What does modern Catholic thought say? Why?

7. Why, according to Aquinas, does just war and proper authority alone not make a just war? Can you think of any cases like this?

8. Why/how does a just war aim at peace?

9. Do we have authority to make war on terrorists? What if such a war would involve border crossings?

10. Would a war against terrorism have to be to punitive, or could it be defensive?

11. What would be a just war aim against terrorism? What wouldn’t?

12. Does a just war have to be a last resort? What do you think?

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