Where Have All the Pacifists Gone?

During the Iraq War and Afghanistan Occupation, it was very common to find Christian pacifists declaiming the evils of war, the inadequacies of just war theory, rallying against the military-industrial complex, and denouncing the evil American empire and the hawkish global elites who profit from the carnage of war. But why are those same people not speaking up against the Russians for invading or against the Ukrainians for daring to fight back?

Where have all the pacifists gone?

It feels like they’ve disappeared or become conveniently silent at this time.

Is this silence proof that pacifism is ultimately unworkable and that some wars, like wars of self-defense, are genuinely just?

As you can probably tell, I’m not a pacifist, I support a just war theory of military conflict.

Now, to be honest, with the benefits of hindsight, I think the Iraq War (post-9/11) and the continuous occupation of Afghanistan were monumental disasters that really did make the situation worse than it already was (that said, I think destroying Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was legitimate action). Whatever ambiguous intentions there were and ambitious goals were imagined, the results made nothing better for nobody.

It’s easy to be a pacifist against unjust wars, ill-advised conflicts, and patently illegal military actions.

But what about wars of self-defense such as those against Nazi Germany in WWII or the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion?

I think the Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression is indeed a just war if we consider the standard criteria.

Just cause: The war must have a just cause such as self-defense or a response to grave injustice. Yes, the Ukrainians are responding to the invasion of their country that began in 2014 but escalated in 2022.

Last resort: A just war can only be waged as a last resort. Yes, Ukraine did not initiate the war and has fought back only as a means of self-defense.

Declared by a proper authority: A war is just only just if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Yes, the Ukrainian army is waging conflict on behalf of its duly elected civilian government.

Right intention: A just war can only be fought with "right" intentions. Yes, the Ukrainian aim is to liberal its occupied territories and to push back Russian forces.

Proportional means: The end is proportional to the means of warfare deployed. Yes, Ukraine has fought only with conventional weapons and has not ratcheted up the level of violence beyond the normal violence of war.

Reasonable chance of success: A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Yes, but it’s complicated, Ukrainian certainly can win, but they also face the prospect of nuclear war should Russian escalate, and that conflict they cannot win.

Let me add that the main supporters of Russia are a weird coalition of autocratic and ethno-nationalist that defy the normal left-right divide. Russia is supported by Belarus, China, Iran, India, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, South Africa, Mali, Eritrea, and others. The only thing these regimes share is anti-western and anti-liberal democracy views and autocratic government.

In the US, the far right supports Russian due to a mixture of American isolationism and a weird belief that Putin is some kind of neo-Byzantine emperor who bans gay pride parades. That’s not a good reason to support Russia or to cease supporting Ukraine.

The dilemma for European leaders right now is whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is like 1914 or like 1939. Is it like 1914 with Austria’s invasion of Serbia and we don’t want to drag Europe into a multi-polar war over some pathetic and paltry debate in another part of the world that has nothing to do with us? Or, is it like 1939 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is more like Germany’s invasion of Poland and simply appeasing Germany only seems to embolden it further? That’s the dilemma.

The problem with appeasement is that we’ve been appeasing Putin’s regime since 2005 and the result has been the annexation of Crimea, the invasion of Georgia and Ukraine, military atrocities in Syria, terrorist attacks in the UK, and the brutal repression of his own people. Putin will only stop when somebody stops him.

I’m not a pacifist, but I do have to point out that the Russian Orthodox Church has recently declared pacifism as heresy. That is perhaps the best argument for pacifism that can be made today!

What do you think? Has the Ukrainian conflict made you reconsider your pacifism? Do you think Ukrainian resistance is a good example of a “just war”?