The excerpt begins with Scene 14, "Ringside seats to an ethnic cleansing," and continues until the beginning of Scene 17, "Lena's story."
- Would Jean Bethke Elshtain approve of the "concrete action" taken by
the characters in the clip from Tears of the Sun? Do you?
- Is the SEAL team's action justifiable? Why? Are there other actions they
might have taken? Are there other ways they might have intervened?
Effectively?
- What, if any, reluctance about the decision to act is shown? What, if any,
regrets? What are the reasons for the reluctance and the regrets?
- What attitudes (Just War, Pacifism, Crusade, amorality) do the characters
show in the clip?
- What do violence and anger do to the SEAL team members?
- "It's just a kid!" Does this matter? Why or why not?
- "This is what they do!" Who are "they"? What attitude is shown here? Is
it understandable? Is it moral?
- How does Elshtain's insistence that we must "get our hands dirty" apply
here? What does she mean by it? Are there other ways to "get our hands
dirty"?
- Cole paraphrases Karl Barth: "Our decision to go to war should be made
in sorrow, but once it is made, we ought to go to war joyfully." Look for
aspects of what has been called "the joy of battle." Do you find "the joy
of battle" repellent? Why, or why not? Is it consistent with Just War
theory?