[Salon] David Hendrickson takes on Michael Walzer's 'Just War' in Gaza



All - please take a look at David's latest in RS, where he wonders about Michael Walzer's (Just and Unjust Wars) position that Israel can destroy Hamas while minimizing civilian harm. 

Walzer’s treatment of Vietnam and Hiroshima suggests that there are imperative reasons to stop short of total victory as a war aim, if the result of pursuing it is a moral enormity. If you have to commit wickedness on a titanic scale in order to achieve total victory, you should accept limited war and seek the containment of the enemy, not his obliteration.

This is especially so, one might add, if the enemy one aims to annihilate elicits widespread sympathies elsewhere, making probable some kind of over-the-top retribution in the future. There are 2.2 million Gazans. There are 1.8 billion Muslims. Germany and Japan were friendless in 1945.

More: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-destroy-gaza/

best, Kelley


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