War and Again

 I was stunned when I woke yesterday and discovered that the U.S. and Israel had attacked Iran. 

I'm sure there are a lot of Americans who, like me, believe that attacking Iran is not warranted. Attacking Iran is also ill-advised for a number a couple of reasons:

First, according to Article 1 of the Constitution only the Congress can declare war. Try as they might to define it otherwise, attacking another nation and decapitating them is an act of war.

Second, The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state in Article 2(4), which reads, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” Launching attacks, like the U.S. strike on Iran, is generally illegal. There are exceptions for self-defense against an armed attack (Article 51) or an attack authorized by the Security Council, but neither of those is in play here. (Civil Discourse)

Third, the killing of Iran's leadership is illegal. Decapitating a country's leadership—meaning the targeted killing or removal of a foreign leader—is generally considered illegal under international law, especially when conducted outside of armed conflict. 

 Such actions typically violate principles of sovereignty and the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in the UN Charter. (Chat GPT) [Note: since Congress has not declared a war, this action was outside an armed conflict]

And so, I wonder why our President is determined to place the U.S. in the same category as Russia under Putin by launching an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation in violation of U.S. law and the U.N. Charter? And even more so, while negotiations were underway.

And I was reminded of Steven Miller's 2024 campaign statement. Certainly, times have changed. 

So much for the Peacemaker! Trump may want to be remembered as a great liberator, but he is more likely to be remembered as a despot wannabe.

My final thought, Why are we not supporting Ukraine rather than starting another conflict?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL