At 06:54 PM 4/17/2005 -0700, Nick wrote: >> When, according to our best >> understanding, we have an opportunity to decrease human suffering >> and death, when does God call us to let things unfold instead, >> increasing human suffering and death? When does God call us to say >> no when people ask for help? > >Who called for help? Exactly which Iraqis called for us to invade and occupy >their country? Was there any evidence of even an partial consensus for that?
Nick, this is a curious standard. Would a consensus of Rwandans been necessary to justify intervention in that country? Also, given the constrainst upon freedom of speech in Iraq, weren't the reactions of people dancing in the streets worth something to you? You later ask if "must dictators be physically stopped?" I would respond by noting that you seem to agree that Christians are called to do justice. I think that Christians should stop dictators if to do so would be justice. For example, if a dictator is killing his own citizens, and we have the power to save those lives from that killing, is it not just to do so? Even if it requires the use of force? I think that you sense the weakness of the rhetorical question "must dictators be physically stopped?" because you proceed shortly to the question of urgency: >And we absolutely had to remove him from power as quickly as possible? Why? >On what basis was there such urgency all of a sudden? I think that here you need to weigh the damage being done vs. the probability of success. For example, we know Saddam Hussein was killing some several thousand Iraqis each month. We also know that for 12 years, various condemnations of international condemnation; diplomatic, military and economic sanctions; covert support for opposition parties; and targeted airstrikes had failed to make any noticeable progress in dislodging him. Therfore, we could reasonably conclude that continuing these policies would likely not result in the removal of Saddam Hussein for several years - particularly based on our experiences in Cuba, DPRK, and elsewhere. Thus, Nick, we have the situation where choosing to continue condemnation and sanctions, etc. would result in the deaths of innocent Iraqis and war would result in the death of innocent Iraqis. I think that a great many people were able to judge that war would most likely result in the deaths of fewer Iraqis in the long run. JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
