Is the Iraq War Justified from a Christian Perspective?

As a Christian considering whether or not the war in Iraq or any war for that matter is just is a complex question that requires more than a yes or no answer. Looking at the teachings of Jesus, we are taught to forgive, love our enemies and to exemplify pacifism. One of the earliest examples of a Christian leader struggling with the just war theory was St. Augustine.

It was hard for him to fathom justification for using armed forces even taking into consideration there were enemies who were intent on eradicating Rome and Christianity. What was his response to this quandary you might ask? His answer was, "a ruler owes his people the duty of protection, thus wars of self-defense are morally permissible. But a ruler's intent in ordering such wars should only be love for his people and have nothing to do with such deadly sins as hatred, anger, bloodlust, or greed." (Orend, 2007)

Many of those in opposition to the war in Iraq completely refuse to accept that Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator. Saddam had defied the world, attacked every bordering country except Syria, murdered 30,000 political opponents and 350,000 Shia's and Kurds, led over a million of his countrymen to their death in ill-conceived and miscalculated wars, and that someday, he would have to give account. When did we allow the blurring of good and evil?