Neo-Conned! Just War Principles: A Condemnation of War in Iraq

by O'Huallachain, D. Liam; Sharpe, J. Forrest; Capucci, Bishop Hilarion; Lopez, George

• ISBN13: 9781932528060
• ISBN10: 1932528067
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-28
• Publisher: IHS Press

Summary

The continuing drumbeat of Catholic and other neoconservatives in favor of the tragic, immoral, and obviously unsuccessful war in Iraq, plus the muted response to it of the American Catholic Hierarchy, has left anti-war Catholics fighting an uphill battle in the face of an aggressive, self-proclaimed "Christian" presidency. Neo-CONNED! rectifies this situation, by setting forth the rock-solid case against the war in terms of both the just-war tradition and the prudence, realism, and common sense of authentic patriotism. It refutes pernicious myths about religion, war, and Christian citizenship, arguing that God, the Church, and conscience trump the government in determining both the justice of a war and a licit course of action for those called upon to support it. The essays and interviews in Neo-CONNED! dissect the moral aspects of the war in Iraq with unparalleled precision and candor, while the appendices (*) explain just-war doctrine and conscientious objection in absolutely orthodox terms. Together they represent the best in contemporary political analysis. Book jacket.

Author Biography

J. Forrest Sharpe is the publisher and managing director of IHS Press. He is a student of Catholic Social Doctrine and the English Distributist movement. D. Liam O'Huallachain is the editorial director of IHS Press and is a student of Catholic Social Doctrine, the English Distributist Movement, and contemporary alternative political movements. Both have edited and annotated editions of works by 20th-century social thinkers such as G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Fr. Vincent McNabb, Fr. Heinrich Pesch, and Dr. George O'Brien. Bishop Hilarion Cappucci is the Patriarchial Vicar of Jerusalem in Exile. George Lopez, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
The Statesmen Speak: A War Both Unnecessary and Vain
The (Bogus) Case Against Saddam	p. 3
Postscript. The "Oppression of the Shiites"	p. 81
Postscript. The Adverse Consequences Economic Sanctions Had on the Enjoyment of Human Rights in Iraq	p. 89
Postscript. The Real "Oil-for-Food" Scandal	p. 97
Cool War	p. 97
Sanctions, Just-War Doctrine, and the "Fearful Spectacle of the Civilian Dead"	p. 109
A Weapon of Mass Distraction	p. 122
Whose War?	p. 135
Conservative and Anti-War: Patriotism, Prudence, and the Moral Law
Refuge of Scoundrels: Patriotism, True and False, in the Iraq War Controversy	p. 151
On Morals, Motives, and Men	p. 161
Legal Nonsense	p. 167
Riding the Red Horse: War and the Prospects of Success	p. 171
A Mirage Too Far	p. 183
The Failure of War	p. 191
A Conservative War?	p. 199
The Venerable Tradition: Putting the Brakes on Aggression and Securing Justice for Iraq
Might Is Not Right: Why "Preventive War" Is Immoral	p. 211
Self-Defense	p. 211
"Pre-Emptive Strike"	p. 214
"Preventive War"	p. 216
Closing Reflection	p. 219
Epistemic Inadequacy, Catholic Just-War Criteria, and the War in Iraq	p. 223
A Review of the Literature: Exposing the Fallacies in Defense of the Invasion of Iraq	p. 247
Iraq: Sovereignty and Conscience	p. 257
Judgment and Inspiration: The Church Still Speaks with Authority
To Whom Should We Go? Legitimate Authority and Just Wars	p. 269
A Moment of Moral Crisis	p. 291
Postscript. The Bishop Explains	p. 295
Postscript. A Canonist Comments	p. 300
Peace Is Still Possible: The Unity of the Church in the Face of the Iraq War	p. 303
A Higher Law: Conscience, Morality, and the Transcendent Vision
Decadent, Belligerent, and Incorrigible	p. 317
Setting Just Limits to New Methods of Warfare	p. 331
The Morality of Weapons Systems	p. 345
Christian Killers?	p. 353
Is Conscientious Objection a Moral Option?	p. 361
The Sounds of Conscience	p. 375
Appendix. A Tribunal	p. 379
Speaking with Authority: The True Just-War Doctrine as a Light for Our Time
Just-War Doctrine: The Metaphysical and Moral Problem	p. 387
The Necessity of War	p. 387
Just and Unjust War	p. 390
Modern War Is to Be Absolutely Forbidden	p. 419
A Study of the Development of Church Teaching on Matters of War and Peace	p. 427
Index	p. 437
About the Contributors	p. 461
Acknowledgements	p. 469
Further Resources	p. 470
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