Violent regimes leave no option but war

I have always greatly respected the ethics of Fr Oskar Wermter, though at times I may have disagreed with certain aspects of the Catholic dogma. His fearless and frank comments on the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe are an example to all of us. Last Maundy Thursday, I read his article in The Daily News proposing that war should be outlawed.

Indeed, this is a noble aspiration and very few sane people would advocate war for the sake of war. Only the mentally unbalanced thirst after violence and war, and here the supporters and instigators of the much-vaunted Third Chimurenga come to mind.

A moment’s thought will reveal that no church can accept or condone the killing of another human being; this is absolutely central to the teachings of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions.

However, in real life and in an imperfect world we are forever forced to make choices and take moral decisions, to choose the right action as Eastern philosophies put it. This right action cannot be preordained because it varies according to time and circumstance. What is right in one situation and at one time may be wrong in another.

We are all now faced with the question of the morality or otherwise of the war to liberate Iraq from dictatorship.

Was it wrong under all circumstances to embark on action that would certainly kill and maim a number of innocent victims? Was it wrong to attack a country that had not attacked ours? Was it wrong to deliberately set out to kill the soldiers of another country?

Can we ignore the neighbour who beats and terrorises his family? Can we turn our backs on murder, rape and mayhem in our community merely because, so far, we have not been the target, and in fact may never be? No, in all conscience we cannot. It is unquestionably our moral duty to protect the weak from abuse and terror. When Cain asked: “Am I my brother’s keeper? the answer was an unambiguous “Yes.”

The world is now our village; we are aware as never before of the abuse meted out to the suffering people under dictatorships in foreign lands. Can we turn our backs and ignore abuse because it is not happening in our own country? Does that fact make it acceptable for us to do nothing, to let others suffer and die?

Another of the basic tenets of the People of the Book (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) is the injunction: “Justice is mine, sayeth the Lord.” This could be taken to mean that society cannot and should not punish offenders against the norms of that society. However, a little further thought reveals that this passage is, in fact, an injunction against revenge. A fine line, perhaps? But nevertheless a source of justifiable moral soul-searching.

Over the millennia we have come to accept that there will always be misfits in society, however regrettable that may be. We have also come to accept that for the good of society as a whole, these misfits must be restrained and punished so as to protect society and discourage others from similar action.

No society can function properly without the rule of law, a fact recognised throughout all of human history, as well as being particularly close to our hearts in Zimbabwe. We do not wait for divine justice to zap miscreants with a thunderbolt – we use just laws to punish them ourselves.

This is the case where miscreant nations such as Iraq are concerned. We, as the greater society, have to enforce the law and promote a more just society ourselves. Whether in our own small village, or the Global Village as Marshall McLuan put it, we have a moral duty to be our brother’s keeper and to do our best to protect the weak and innocent from abuse.

We cannot say, “I am not the one!” with a clear conscience. Yet that is what the anti-war protesters are saying. I believe that it is indeed immoral to condemn the war to free the Iraqi people when, if those protesters were in the Iraqi situation they would be pleading for liberation. As we are.

War and violence must always be the method of last resort. War and violence of any sort must always be condemned by clergy of conscience.

But when a regime uses violence and terror to subjugate a nation, it is clear to all moral realists that some degree of violence is going to be necessary in order to remove it. Regrettably, it is the very violence of the regime that makes war the only way to free the people from bondage. Life lived consciously is always full of difficult moral decisions. I believe that it was a pity that the coalition used the question of weapons of mass destruction to justify the war on Iraq; I believe they should have had the courage to admit that it was a heinous regime that desperately needed removing for the good of the people.

That is certainly the case I would put for removing the present regime in Zimbabwe.

"no church can accept or condone the killing of another human being; this is absolutely central to the teachings of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions."

Bunk. The Commandment is "Thou shalt not MURDER." Capital punishment is allowed. Prosecution of war and killing opponents is allowed. Self defense is allowed.

Authors who write such ninnyisms deserve obscurity. Move along.

Revolutionary war in Zimbabwe should have started at least a year ago. Waiting until people are near death from starvation is a little late for insurrection, I think.

Regrettably, it is the very violence of the regime that makes war the only way to free the people from bondage. Life lived consciously is always full of difficult moral decisions. I believe that it was a pity that the coalition used the question of weapons of mass destruction to justify the war on Iraq; I believe they should have had the courage to admit that it was a heinous regime that desperately needed removing for the good of the people. That is certainly the case I would put for removing the present regime in Zimbabwe.

The three things being put forward as having to be met to take out a tyrant- weapons of mass destruction, threat to your country and brutal regime. I think two out of three is good enough.

Good article. To me, Iraq is like a crack house at the end of the block run by an abusive a-hole with a family. That a-hole dealer may never mug you, the drugs don't threaten you but there's danger nonetheless. And you can't in good conscience turn a blind eye to what that a-hole is doing to his family.

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