The War to Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict / Edition 1

by James Turner Johnson professor of religion, Rutgers University, author of Morality and Contempor

Overview

This is the first and only book to provide a moral analysis of the war in Iraq and its implications for the future of war and peacemaking. As a leading authority on the development and application of moral traditions related to war, Johnson's analysis relates the conflict in Iraq to the broader context of the ongoing war between the West and radical Islam, the United States' "war on terrorism," and the emerging principles of preemptive military actions. After setting the context by comparing the principles of Just War to those of Jihad, Johnson provides a thorough and accessible moral analysis of the debate leading up to the war in Iraq, the implementation of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the lessons to be learned from the conflict.

The War To Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict addresses the key questions most people are asking today: What should be the standard for pre-emptive uses of military force? What of the other arguments the Bush Administration offered for the need to remove Saddam Hussein and restructure Iraq? What is to be said for the future about the possibilities of fruitful relations between the cultures of the West and of Islam?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742549562
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	7.72(w) x 9.18(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

James Turner Johnson is a professor in the Department of Religion at Rutgers University. He has a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities and Guggenheim Fellowships, he lives in Frenchtown, New Jersey, in Hunterdon County, near Philadelphia.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Setting the Context: Are We Involved in a Clash of Civilizations? Chapter 2 Jihad and Just War: Ethical Perspectives on the New Face of Conflict Chapter 3 Disciplining Just War Thinking: Uses and Misuses of the Just War Idea in Recent American Debate Part 4 The War To Oust Saddam Hussein: Before Chapter 5 The Debate Over Using Force Against the Saddam Hussein Regime: Was the Use of Force Justified? Part 6 The War To Oust Saddam Hussein: During Chapter 7 Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Moralist's Notebook Part 8 The War To Oust Saddam Hussein: After Chapter 9 Looking Back as a Way of Looking Ahead

Editorial Reviews

This is an excellent book. James Turner Johnson's unique knowledge of the historical and cultural dimensions of just war tradition yields great insight into the debate regarding the campaign of the U.S. and its allies' efforts to depose the government of Saddam Hussein.

Dr. John Kelsay

Learned, judicious, self-critical, and fair, James Turner Johnson is our wisest guide through the thickets of the just war tradition. By demonstrating how ancient moral wisdom can be developed and applied to dramatically new circumstances, Johnson makes an indispensable contribution to the 21st century quest for peace, security, and freedom.

George Weigel

James Turner Johnson, our foremost historian of the just war tradition, brings his historic acumen and analytic incisiveness to bear on the war against the regime of Saddam Hussein. The no-nonsense clarity and pull-no-punches approach we have come to expect from Johnson are on display in abundance. He cuts through much of the flabbiness attendant upon this debate to get to the heart of the matter.

Jean Bethke Elshtain