The Myth of Preemptive Self-Defense

[wtmusic]

"The United States has no right to invade another state because of speculative concerns about that state's possible future actions. The current international order does not support a special status for the United States or a singular right to exempt itself from the law."

http://www.asil.org/taskforce/oconnell.pdf

Senator Robert Byrd knows it's wrong, you know it's wrong. This is WHY it's wrong--from a legal point of view. This 21-page .pdf is a well-written, comprehensive legal analysis of the decision to go to war with Iraq, and an essential weapon in any antiwar activist's toolkit!

[Droopy]

1. The problem

Most people who were paying attention back when BushCo trashed the U.N. knew we were going against international law. The attitude was that if the U.N. won't back us then screw 'em! Just the other day I heard a story on NPR about US tourists in France. They interviewed a woman who said she didn't really hold it against France that they foiled our effort at U.N. backing but she said they should not ask us the next time they needed some help. That's the attitude that a lot of people have. People know it was illegal in the eyes of the world, they just don't care. We're the big, bad U.S.A.! Who's going to stop us?

[wtmusic]

2. You're right

for the most part, people just don't care...

on the other hand I've actually been able to change a couple of minds re: the war based on this info. It's not only based on our commitment to the UN but on accepted standards of international law going back hundreds of years.