The news that US soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners was not too surprising. Not because our soldiers are particularly brutal, (in fact, I'm sure they are on the whole quite humane) but because I assume that during war atrocities occur on all sides. This is the nature of violent conflict where emotions run high and there is a psychological need to demonize the enemy that you might have to kill. So when I try and evaluate whether military action is justified these are some of the things that I think must be factored into the equation. Innocent civilians will be killed. Atrocities will be comitted by both sides. US soldiers will be killed. Enemy soldiers will be killed. The disruption caused by war will lead to signifcant suffering for civilian populations (disease, violent crime, displacement, etc.) Because all of these conditions are the inevitable consequence of violent conflict, in my mind our country (any country) should make vigorous efforts to avoid war, and the decision to go to war is only justified in extreme situations which include- Your country has been attacked. Your allies have been attacked. Your declared enemies are amassing troops on your border. Because all of the conditions listed above are the inevitable consequence of violent conflict, in my mind these are not valid justifications for going to war- Control of natural resources Uncooperative behavior (economic, military, political) by another country Antipathy towards a political/economic system or leader Miltary intervention to avert a humanitarian crisis falls into another category (and possibly the subject of another post). However, a few thoughts- Because the consequences of military intervention are so unpredictable, military action to avert a humanitarian crisis should only occur- when there is a dire threat of massive slaughter with the informed support of the population of intervening country with the informed support (to the degree that it can be determined) of the population of the country in crisis I'm very interested to hear what others think are valid justifications for going to war and why.
