War and Peace-Just War Issue Page

Everyone's talking about the collapsing economy, the probability that the recession will deepen and that next year will be even harder. People fear that McCain and Palin will continue the wars, worsen the economy, and bring further suffering to the world's poor. Many hope Obama will be elected, end the wars, restore the economy and begin healing the world's poor. But I keep pointing to those deeper Gospel lessons, the long-term journey of personal and global disarmament that Christ commands of us. We're so used to violence. We easily believe the myth of redemptive violence, the lie of war, the false spirituality of violence, the misguided notion that might makes right, that war is justified, that our weapons protect us, that violence works. I suspect we don't trust God, don't think God can protect us, don't take Jesus seriously. In the end, such questions reveal our lack of faith. Do we believe in the God of peace or not?

Democrats like to say that theirs is a "big-tent" party, welcome to members of all stripes. The same description, it seems, applies to their protesters. As delegates began flooding into Denver yesterday for the start of today's Democratic National Convention, hundreds of antiwar demonstrators marched from the state capitol to the Pepsi Center, the convention headquarters. But just about all they shared was a march route and an opposition to the war in Iraq. The demonstrators were an extraordinarily varied lot, promoting a mishmash of conflicting agendas and opinions. Many were sympathetic to Obama and the Democratic platform; others advocated an overthrow of the two-party system. They ranged from soft-spoken, 1960s-vintage antiwar activists to younger radicals, bandanas covering their faces, voicing objection to the very existence of the United States.

In Israel, there is a village where Arabs and Jews live as neighbors. Both groups endeavor to create a just society that can be a model for peace in the region. What's it called? "Oasis of Peace." Though the town's name gives the impression that it's some sort of magical, idealistic utopia, the people living there are challenged daily and deeply by the reality of an intractable, painful, and violent conflict. Like anything worth attaining, peace comes with hard work. Much can be learned from Neve Shalom, its Hebrew name, or Wahat al-Salam as it's called in Arabic, about inter-faith relations. In the local Jewish-Arab primary school, children study one another's faiths with natural curiosity. Students break the fast together at Ramadan, share a sukkah booth at the festival of Sukkot, and exchange small gifts at Christmas. And dialogue begins, but never ends.

Benedict XVI is calling for open pathways for humanitarian relief to reach Georgia. The Pope spoke of the conflict in the Caucasus after he prayed the midday Angelus on Sunday with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. Georgia and Russia engaged in a brief but bloody conflict that began Aug. 7 over the status of the disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia reported that it was withdrawing its forces today. Benedict XVI affirmed that "ethnic minorities involved in the conflict must be guaranteed safety and the inviolability of their fundamental rights." Meanwhile, Christians of various traditions have joined their voices to call for a halt to conflict.

Barack Obama and John McCain have plenty of disagreements, but one thing they are united on is promising a troop surge in Afghanistan. But what are the real prospects for turning fractious, impoverished Afghanistan into an orderly and prosperous nation and a potential ally of the United States? What true American interests are being insufficiently advanced or defended in its remote deserts and mountains? And even if these interests are really so broad, are they deliverable at an acceptable price? The answers to these questions put the wisdom of an Afghan surge into great question.

The brinksmanship between the West and Iran over that country's nuclear ambitions appeared to enter a new and dangerous phase earlier this month, when the Iranians did not accept the West's latest offer to set aside further economic sanctions if the Iranians immediately stopped enriching uranium. Representatives of six Western nations had given Iran until Aug. 2 to reply to their offer. Iran allowed the deadline to pass, then responded 48 hours later with little that was new. In the interim it deployed a new long-range weapon it said was capable of striking U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf. In return, the United States and its allies have said that they will pursue additional economic sanctions.

Saint Ambrose parishioners are supporting the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, in the editorial he wrote about abolishing nuclear weapons. Following the weekend Masses July 19-20, 365 parishioners, including children, signed letters written to President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, and Senator Barack Obama. Some letters included whole families and listed the childrens' ages. The letters asked each leader to dedicate himself to the abolishment of nuclear weapons. The project to support Bishop Wester, was an effort by Saint Ambrose Parish supported by members of the Peace and Justice Committee.

Iraq and Afghanistan are the messes getting attention today, but they are only symptoms of a much broader cancer in American foreign policy. In short, the United States is hugely overinvesting in military tools and underinvesting in diplomatic tools. The result is a lopsided foreign policy that antagonizes the rest of the world and is ineffective in tackling many modern problems. Incredibly, the most eloquent spokesman for more balance between "hard power" and "soft power" is Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Mr. Gates, who is superb in repairing the catastrophe left behind by Donald Rumsfeld, has given a series of astonishing speeches in which he calls for more resources for the State Department and aid agencies.

Pope Benedict XVI appealed for an immediate end to military operations in Georgia and its breakaway province of South Ossetia. Citing reports of heavy civilian casualties and a large number of refugees, the pope called on the international community to act quickly to bring Russian and Georgian leaders to the bargaining table. "It is my fervent wish that military actions cease immediately," the pope said Aug. 10. He urged both sides to "refrain, also in the name of a common Christian heritage, from further confrontations and violent retaliations that could degenerate into a wider conflict."