Aggression

The discussion of the war crime of aggression has been long; it is still perhaps of interest. I’m going to post a series of photographs of philosopher Michael Walzer’s arguments about it.* I don’t intend this as an endorsement of his position, only an attempt to inform our discussion with what might be called the standard position of contemporary Just War Theory. 

You might say, "Grim, you're almost a quarter century late on this; the Iraq War was a clear example of America aggressing against a nation that had not attacked us, on false pretenses." I was a great supporter of the Iraq War at the time we started it, on the grounds of humanitarian intervention: Saddam was engaged in genocidal efforts against the Shia "Marsh Arabs," as well as a general attempt at socialist totalitarianism. Any nation that could, I thought at the time, had at least a right to try to set right such things. The outcome of that war, one in which I wagered my own life and honor in the cause of human freedom, has been sadly instructive to me. The last good that might be gotten out of it is to learn from our -- from my -- mistake.

* The cited text is Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations, Second Edition. It is now on its Fifth edition, which may vary slightly from the text here.