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Is the U.S. fight against terrorism consistent with the principles of a "just war"?
The most recent responses appear first
"Captain Tate's submission was found when I sat down to write a response to the last two submissions of Professor Teodoru..."
"Some very 'interesting' comments from certain people. Nevertheless, it seems to me that a 'just war,' like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder..."
"Prof. Cox: Your lapses in logic are truly remarkable. You state 'Defenses of U.S. war crimes typically avoid the ongoing context of those crimes' but you do not state what those crimes are or have been..."
"Prof. Ryan, the 'controversy' I see is NOT upon us NOW, but will mushroom, positively correlated in intensity to the price it will cost to our other national goals..."
"I beg forgiveness for having missed Dr. Thurman's characterization of my h-net two-fingered typing diarrhea. Yes, indeed, I KNOW Communism to have been internationalist..."
"Professor Teodoru: The case of academics in anthropological archaeology has been, to my mind, much like Greshem's Law -- bad money drives out good..."
"My apology to Dr. Thurman. But having seen how academics absolve themselves of their critical role in our society..."
"Professor Teodoru asks if I am an academic. I am not. This point, however, is of no relevance to the present discussion, and hence would require no response..."
"From Prof Cox: 'No specific crime against the United States can offer any justification whatever for any of its military actions beyond its own borders...'"
"I wonder if Mr. Thurman is an academic. From his postings it is clear that he is a highly intellectual man..."
"Professor Ryan: There is one point in your submission where I am not certain you are correct..."
"Anyone ever heard of 'radical chic?' Ooo! Neat! A moral backbone! Not bowing to authority! An independent thinker, not going along with the crowd!..."
"Professor Cox: Thank you for your rant. How is that rant connected with U.S. retaliation in Afghanistan?..."
"Professor Cox: Please clarify your remarks. You write, 'Americans, scholars or otherwise, will have eventually to face the fact that they are citizens of a criminal state...'"
"I am grateful for Professor Gathje's reply, for it provides a good illustration of several things with which I have been concerned in Chronicle colloquy..."
"Defenses of U.S. war crimes typically avoid the ongoing context of those crimes, a context which nullifies and contingent arguments in favor of a particular action..."
"Mr. Thurman: Lest I be misunderstood, I AM NOT advocating a position that disagreement with our government in wartime is tantamount to treason..."
"I may disagree with Professor Zimbleman about dissent in wartime. Dissent in wartime is a very tricky matter..."
"In response to Professor Thurman: I am a Catholic who does teach at a Catholic institution, and he rightly observes that my thinking on war is shaped by biblical research and reflection..."
"Although I disagree with Professor Gathje on several points, particularly with respect to religion, I do agree with him that trying to 'justify' this war on moral grounds is useless..."
"I am disturbed on several levels regarding this debate. I believe that life is sacred, and that includes my own life..."
"Professor Teodoru is a not-insignificant observer of American academe and politics. In matters of great scale, however, such as the war on terrorism..."
"Prof. Teodoru, I think you're using 'controversial' an different sense from mine. In saying that the war on Al Qaeda is not controversial..."
"There are a number of troubling points about this discussion, and some of these general points will be touched on before commenting on the submission of Professor Gathje in more detail..."
"The issue of a "just war" focuses on its initiation. But the war on terrorism is well past that point. We now are in the throws of tit-for-tat..."
"This colloquy may not generate many responses, but I wonder how that leads Prof. Ryan to conclude that the issue is not one pressing hard on the minds of most academics..."
"Mr. Le, we aren't letting you off the hook here with your moralizing. You write, 'If you ask for a better solution [than war], I don't know...'"
"Mr. Li and all the other 'Peace' lovers: You use (too) many words to express a simple statement: War kills people and therefore is to be avoided at any cost..."
"Ken Brown stated Ithat the U.S. has not honored the principle of discrimination (non-killing of civilians). I must suppose he means the principle I know as proportionality..."
"To Ms. Zimbleman: I believe what we are discussing here is a social matter which deals with human beings. The decision of going to (or having) war is not a black and white matter..."
"I find it very disconcerting that many people posting in this discussion resort to personal attacks (minor acts of terrorism?) rather than civilized discussion..."
"Recent polls of Ivy-League academics have demonstrated how hopelessly out of touch they are with the rest of American society..."
"The way to solve the conundrum of the killing of innocents is to do the following. Ask yourself, 'Would I have any objection...'"
"In reference to Professor Ebenreck's breathtakingly idiotic remark that the Taliban are NOT and were NOT the terrorists?..."
"Mr. Shroeder it seems, would have us exhaust any and all non-violent means before resorting to force in this matter..."
"The principle of discrimination, non-killing of civilians, is at the heart of jus in bello..."
"Dear Professor Ebenreck: You're pompous and self-righteous..."
"The Professor thinks he can see into our souls?..."
"I would not sign the statement from these 'leading intellectuals.' Here are a few reasons..."
"There seems to be little disagreement that this has been a 'just war' since the attacks on September 11..."
"This colloquy doesn't generate many postings. I guess it's not controversial. The article explains that some people worry that two of the conditions of just war might not be satisfied..."
"Mr. Le, you are contradicting yourself. Referring presumably to U.S. military action, you say that 'flexing muscle won't solve any problems...'"
"What do you mean, flexing muscle won't do any good? Flexing muscle has already done a lot of good..."
"One question for those who do not believe that the 'war on terrorism,' at least in its current incarnation, is not a just war..."
"Flexing muscle won't solve any problems. What good would it do with a practical standpoint?..."
"Here, here, Professor Raman. I tend to look at this situation more so from a practical than a moral standpoint..."
"From the perspective of those who initiate it, as well as those who are attacked or drawn into it, every war is a 'just' war..."
"No thanks. The distinguished signatories seem totally off base and counterfactual..."
"Is the U.S. fight against terrorism a war at all? Probably not by any modern definition. President Bush has employed a powerful metaphor by making this a 'war'..."
"The claim made by the 'prominent scholars' that the 11 September 2001 attacks were an attack on 'who we are' raises a question relevant to discussion of the 'justice' of this war: who is the 'we' of this document?..."
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Copyright © 2002 by The Chronicle of Higher Education