American exceptionalism on steroids

[malaise]

USA! USA!! USA!! Freedom, democracy and of course those exceptional values.
Now here come the bombs.

I'm off to bed early - this is too sad.

[stevenleser]

1. No, it's not. Every country reserves the right to do this in response to its people being killed or

attacked or kidnapped.

There is nothing exceptional about that.

[Vattel]

4. War against X cannot be justified simply by appeal to the fact that X killed one of our citizens.

Obama, knows that. I suspect you do as well.

[stevenleser]

5. Actually, pretty much, yes it can. An attack on a country's citizens is one of the legal reasons for

war.

[Vattel]

6. wow, you need to do some reading on the ethics of war.

[stevenleser]

7. Wow, you need to do some reading on international law regarding war. nt

[Vattel]

9. No expert on the ethics of war

thinks that a nation can morally justify recourse to war against X on the mere grounds that X killed one of the citizens of that nation. That view would be laughed at.

[drray23]

10. whats the threshold then ?

Were we justified to declare war to japan after pearl arbor ? We lost 2400 lives there. Did that do it ?

World war 1 was started after archduke ferdinand was assassinated in sarajevo. One person..

[Vattel]

12. I can't answer that in a short post. I would recommend reading recent literature on the topic.

War can only be waged to defend the rights of the innocent, but there are many restrictions on what one can justifiably do even in defense of the innocent.

[Mercy_Queen]

2. American citizens are being tortured and executed.

President Obama has far more moral high-ground to stand on in this conflict. I support him 100%. He is the leader we should have had on 9/11.

[yeoman6987]

3. He did awesome

Sad you can't see it. Maybe when you wake up and realize who lucky we are to have the President we have.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. Funny,

that's what I just said in WillyT's thread.

[qazplm]

11. just so I'm clear

we are creating a broad coalition, using only our air power, and that equates to American exceptionalism???