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The Iraq Debate
Three Views on Moral and Ethical Dilemmas Posed by War
 Listen to Siegel's interviews.
 Learn more about retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Michael Walzer and Father Richard John Neuhaus.
Sept. 27 -- Attacking Iraq -- Is it right? Is it justified? Is it necessary?
The debate about United States policy toward Saddam Hussein has reached a fever pitch on Capitol Hill and the United Nations -- indeed, all across the globe.
In daily speeches and testimony President Bush and his Cabinet members are making the case that the Iraqi leader has chemical and biological weapons, and is close to creating a nuclear weapon. They are also suggesting Iraq has close ties with al Qaeda -- making Saddam a legitimate target in the ongoing "war on terrorism."
Recent polls indicate the nation is split over the use of military force to end Saddam's regime -- most Americans favor the notion of "regime change," but are wary of the Bush administration's unilateral push.
The nation seems to be inching closer than ever to another armed conflict with Iraq. All Things Considered senior host Robert Siegel interviews three people with a unique perspective on the debate -- a military general, a political philosopher and a theologian -- "all concerned about the intersection of morality, war and law," Siegel says.
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Michael Walzer, professor, School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study
Walzer has written about a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy: political obligation, just and unjust war, nationalism and ethnicity, economic justice and welfare. He is an acknowledged expert on ethics and a pluralist approach to political and moral life. |
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Father Richard John Neuhaus, president, The Institute on Religion and Public Life
Neuhaus, an ordained priest, is considered a foremost authority on the role of religion in contemporary life. He heads a nonpartisan inter-religious research and education institute, and has held presidential appointments in the Carter, Reagan, and first Bush administrations. |
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Gen. Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Clark was Supreme Allied Commander of Europe from 1997 to 2000. A West Point graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and decorated Vietnam War veteran, Clark was the director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon from 1994 to 1996 and lead military negotiator for the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton, Ohio, in 1995. |
Other Resources
• Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
• Web site for First Things, the Journal of Religion and Public Life, edited by Neuhaus
• Clark is the author of Waging Modern War, published by PublicAffairs, part of Perseus Books Group.
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