To the editor:

Although Iraq’s involvement in the 9-11 attack has not been clearly identified, with this event our country has found herself in a new kind of war, the “War on Terrorism.” What components should be considered to determine a just and effective response to this new type of warfare?

There has been an attempt to apply “just war” principles. Included in these principles are: just cause, proportionality in response, and identified goals with a fair chance of success, which in modern times is tied to the concept of nation states with the authority to negotiate terms, etc.

“Just war” principles were developed in the Middle Ages. Presumption against war was never a part of these principles; with enemies like Vikings and Muslims, non-resistance would have been suicide. When the United States was attacked on 9-11, using force to repel evil was valid. However, essential to winning this new type of war is finding the source of funding. One expert said to look for “big money.”

Also essential is an understanding of Islamic Jihad. Historian Paul Johnson states that Islam “divides the world into the Dar al-Islam, the territory of Islam … and the Dar al-Harb, the territory of war; controlled temporarily by non-Moslems … Jihad is the necessary and permanent state of war waged against the Dar al-Harb, which can only end when the entire world submits to Islam.” This goal has never changed.

Finally, this new warfare may affect our own civil liberties (Patriot Act). We must remember that no terrorist group can perpetrate terror on our citizenry like that of a police state.

James Thoennes,

Eudora