The Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon, in the Huffington Post writes on whether or not the attacks on Libya is an example of “Just War:”
The world watches Libya and worries, and for weeks the churches have been praying for her people. The United Nations has decided at last to support the Libyan people against the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, ending a period of indecision during which Gaddafi’s army of mercenaries were able to use modern weapons against the lightly armed insurgents. We can only hope that the actions of France and her allies will be effective, while remembering that there is no such thing as a “surgical strike.”
The issue of a “just war” is rather simple when a nation is attacked and has to defend itself. Since the American intervention in Iraq, the question of preventive strikes has been widely discussed. The fact that Gaddafi has to use mercenaries to try to repress the uprising of his own people could be another case to consider: does the international community have the right to intervene in such a situation?
Yes, and for several reasons: the rebels have requested it; the Arab League and therefore the neighboring countries have asked for it, and our own awareness of the suffering of the Libyan people, and what awaits the insurgents if Gaddafi wins his war against his own people, requires it.