Friday, October 07, 2005

James Turner Johnson: the War to Oust Saddam Hussein

The War To Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2005. [Currently only available from the publisher's website]

From the publishers: 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?

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.

Contents

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