Catholic Community of Pleasanton

Social Justice Newsletter Archive

Selected Article on Peace

  

Peace Building - Part 1

 

Three sharply contrasting views concerning the intervention in Libya are presented at http://peacepolicy.nd.edu/The three brief statements are by faculty members of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The statements appeared in the October 6, 2011 issue of the e-mail publication "Peace Policy" of the Kroc Institute, and they illustrate the difficulty of resolving violent conflicts and building peace.

 

The titles and authors of the statements are

  • The Libyan Intervention: A Victory for War? By Mary Ellen O'Connell
  • Military Interventionism in Libya: A Pandora's Box of Questions by David Cortright
  • Imperfect Actions in an Imperfect World by George A. Lopez

The three authors have a professional interest - and, surely, a personal interest also - in promoting peace between nations. The three statements illustrate the difficulties, the ambiguities and the many unknowns in efforts to form and strengthen beneficial relations among international actors. The three also illustrate the fact that there can be widely different opinions as what actual steps to take - in this case to protect human lives and promote international peace - even among those who adhere closely to Catholic Social Teaching.

 

You are invited to read the three statements. Go to http://peacepolicy.nd.edu.

 

You may also find it worthwhile to read either excerpts or all of an article about International Law from the Encyclopedia Brittanica. The excerpts and a link to the complete article are available in this newsletter. See "International Law".