Photo Credit:

But, really, to what long-term or ultimate end?

Yes, the law of armed conflict, Cicero notwithstanding, can likely mitigate some suffering in certain circumstances, both inter-national and intra-national. (Cicero’s phrase is “Inter arma silent leges – “In times of war, the law is silent.”) But will such law ever amount to much more than tinkering at the peripheries of what is truly important?

Advertisement




(To Be Continued)
Louis René Beres, strategic and military affairs columnist for The Jewish Press, is professor of political science at Purdue University. Educated at Princeton (Ph.D., 1971), he lectures and publishes widely on international relations and international law and is the author of ten major books in the field. In Israel, Professor Beres was chair of Project Daniel.

Advertisement

1
2
SHARE
Previous articleAn American Odyssey (Part 4)
Next articleMy Machberes
Louis René Beres (Ph.D., Princeton, 1971) is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Purdue and the author of twelve books and several hundred articles on nuclear strategy and nuclear war. He was Chair of Project Daniel, which submitted its special report on Israel’s Strategic Future to former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, on January 16, 2003.