Does a Preventive War Qualify as a Just War?

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As we know, the global Christian community is generally opposed to America’s war with Iraq. Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, and even several Orthodox voices spoke out against America’s perceived audacity to launch a “preventive war” against Iraq.

I have misgivings about the war in Iraq, but I am generally supportive of President Bush. Moreover, I have recently learned that according to traditional just war theory, a preventive war does not qualify as a just war. A preventive war would be any war that is waged so as to prevent a future and greater war. But since the future cannot be known and intentions are matters of personal perception, a preventive war is not just.

I guess this begs the question as to whether our current war is preventive or not. I’d love to hear some various perspectives on this issue.

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