UNLEASHING THE DOGS OF WAR
October 2002

As President George W. Bush positions America to unleash the dogs of war against Saddam Hussein, the debate rages in the corridors of power in Washington, the United Nations, and throughout the world. It has become not only a political and military issue, but a religious issue as well, with moral and ethical considerations. Those advocating a preemptive first strike against Iraq cite Hussein's possible possession of weapons of mass destruction and his willingness to use them, his involvement in world terrorism and the giving of sanctuary to Al Quaida remnants, and the repression and atrocities committed by Saddam against his own people.

The arguments against unilateral military action are the tremendous loss of life that would result not only among the combatants, but the death and deprivation among an already suffering civilian population. In addition, the estimated cost of $9 billion per month could plunge the already weakened United States economy into a catastrophic downward spiral. Much more serious is the possibility of destabilizing the region and sowing more seeds of hatred among the Arab populations, as well as polarizing Muslims and Christians. A preemptive military strike without world support and United Nations sanctions would label the United States as an aggressor nation and further weaken our credibility as an advocate for international law and justice.

If Iraq poses a credible threat to life on this planet, and all other means of resolving the crisis have failed, there may be legitimate cause for taking such actions to prevent a future holocaust, but the evidence presented to date has not been convincing, nor have all possible solutions been explored.

The religious question is Awhere is God in the historical process?@ Does God advocate the use of peaceful resolution to our global problems, or does God permit war with all of its horror and death to be a sign of our human frailty and sin in order to bring from the ashes of destruction a resurrection to new life and a new age?

Dr. Harry L. Serio