Prof. George A. Lopez

The notion that no war should be fought unless it could be morally justified dates back to the Roman philosopher Cicero. Catholic theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas furthered the theory within the Western tradition.

On Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Barbieri Moot Court Room, speaker George A. Lopez  related Just War Theory to recent U.S. military activity. A founding member of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Lopez titled his speech "Is Just War Theory Dead?"

“The reason for asking the question at this point is that it didn’t seem to get much airplay in the buildup to the Iraq War,” said Kirk Besmer, an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department at Gonzaga University and president of the Spokane chapter of the Notre Dame Club.

Because of its connection with Aquinus, Besmer said, Just War Theory is “largely associated with Catholic moral teaching; it’s not necessarily the policy of the U.S.”

In his lecture, Lopez presented a thumbnail historical sketch of Just War Theory.

Western monarchs saw it as a series of considerations to be answered satisfactorily before engaging in conflict, lest justice favor the opponent.

More recently, it has provided political and military leaders with a checklist of criteria, with the understanding that armed conflict should only be entered as a last resort.

Congress debated the merits of the first Gulf War, based on the tenets of Just War Theory, Lopez told the audience. That debate was largely absent prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Lopez said.

Moreover, he said, the “War on Terror” is not a war in the usual sense, largely because the opponent is stateless.

“Prof. Lopez holds that we’ve confused the war on terror with a real war and that our last war against a state (Iraq) failed to satisfy the tenets of Just War Theory,” Besmer said.

Lopez received his doctorate from Syracuse University in 1975, and holds the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. Chair in Peace Studies at Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame Club of Spokane sponsored Lopez's lecture.