Growing up in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was a strong belief that the war was won because we were the good side and the Germans and Japanese were the bad side.

Everything they did was bad, and everything we did was good. When I first visited Germany in 1976, I had to unlearn that perception, with the realisation that there was a lot of goodness in the German people.

My perception that we were the good side, and that everything we did was good, also had to be revised when listening to former Australian soldiers. I heard stories of incidents that indicated not all we did was good.

War can bring out the best and worst in all people.

As the situation in Iraq drags on and on without any real confidence in a satisfactory conclusion being achieved, it might be a good idea to contemplate where goodness and evil lies in this messy situation. And maybe we might have to acknowledge that not everything we did was good.

During the Gulf War of 1991, the Allies did not invade Iraq. However, significant damage was done to the infrastructure of the nation.

It was well known in 1991 that Iraq's rivers contain biological materials, pollutants, and are laden with bacteria. Unless the water is purified with chlorine, epidemics of such diseases as cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid could occur.

The bombing in Iraq in 1991 destroyed 18 of the 20 electricity-generating plants, and the water pumping and sanitation systems. It was predicted then that up to 100,000 civilian deaths a year would occur and the infant mortality rate would double!

The trade embargo placed on Iraq prohibited the importing of equipment that would enable the repair of electricity stations and the water purification plants.

It was reported to the British Medical Society in 1995 that by then some 567,000 Iraqi children were believed to have died as a result of disease brought about by the destruction and the sanctions!

The extremely difficult and embarrassing question that has to be answered is: “How would you classify the bombing of infrastructure that is aimed at the deaths of innocent civilians and children?”

Could it be regarded as pre-emptive violence? How would we feel if that was done to us?

In the teachings of Jesus we learned that the path to balance and harmony in our world always begins with self-examination.

“You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your own eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye!”

When you look for evil or good, you start first with yourself. Perhaps the path to peace in the Middle East, and the whole world, requires a realistic self-examination, and then the necessary action.