Just war theory

In our modern age, weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) are becoming increasingly more common. The nuclear arms race of the earlier 20th century is being echoed today, especially in the growing tensions in North Korea and various Middle Eastern countries. The Catholic Church states that because these new weapons inflict such destruction, their Just War Theory (which guides moral behavior when entering and participating in war) can no longer apply to modern warfare. In this case, the church advocates nonviolent resistance as an alternative to war. I believe that in some situations nonviolent resistance is an option. One can see that famous nonviolent activists such as Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi made much progress in their causes-- as ultimately were victorious. It is my belief that we should remain nonviolent if at all possible. There are many ways one can nonviolently protest-- boycotts, sit-ins, public speeches and presentations, petitioning those who represent us in the government, raising awareness through public appearances and pamphlets, etc. These are often just as or more effective than violent methods of resistance. Your opponent cannot hold any acts of violence over you to vilify you because you have a clean slate. However, I think that in some situations with very aggressive opponents this could be unrealistic. If we are threatened by aggressive opponents who have weapons of mass destruction, it is difficult to not engage in a nuclear arms race in order to protect ourselves. There is a very fine line to walk in this issue. Whether war happens or not, I think that everything happens for a reason. God would not let mass destruction and pain happen if it was not according to his plan. Even awful things such as war have a purpose-- and they may teach us a powerful lesson for the future that will end the suffering.