By George Hunsinger, Commonweal
At least for now, the U.S. rush to war has been put on hold. In a surprise move President Barack Obama announced on August 31 that he would seek congressional approval for attacking Syria in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces. Although the president made clear his intention to launch such an attack, hopes have grown that the extra time for reflection will allow cooler heads to prevail.
How should U.S. citizens and their elected representatives decide this dreadful question? A defensible case for the attack on Syria would have to satisfy traditional “just war” standards. In its modern form the just-war tradition (jus ad bellum) involves at least four primary elements: just cause, legitimate authority, last resort, and reasonable chance of success. If these criteria remain unmet, the recourse to war is unjustified.
In my view, the proposed attack on Syria meets none of these standards. Let us review them in order.