Is military action ever justified? A physician defends the 'Responsibility to Protect'

This article initially examines the moral dilemmas of war from personal and family experience, from the perspective of a family doctor trained to preserve life and a member of the peace movement. It then explores Just War from religious viewpoints and the challenges to pacifism from those living in war zones, and from human rights and human security perspectives. It concludes that the Responsibility to Protect reflects sound medical principles balancing the need to make war an extreme last resort with the responsibility of the international community to assist those unable to defend themselves.