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Examples Of War Pacifism

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Do you consider yourself a realist? A pacifist? Or do you subscribe to just war theory? How does this impact your view of war crimes? Should there be crimes in war?
I do not consider myself a realist or a pacifist. I more subscribe to just war theory. The reason why I subscribe myself to just war theory is because I believe that there are legitimate wars and illegitimate wars. In the book Crime Without Borders: An Introduction to International Criminal Justice by Aaron Fichtelberg states, “War is usually a bad thing, but under certain circumstances, it may be justified or even obligatory” (Fichtelberg, 2008, pg. 112). In chapter six it described certain laws and articles that can justify countries or states to initialize or join in a war. …show more content…

One reason why a person would commit a war crime would be out of self-defense. An example of this would be in the case of George Bush, when he sent military troops to invade Iraq. Many people believed that George Bush committed a war crime, but in actuality, George Bush was following the orders of the United Nations Security Council to maintain international peace and security. There are also many reasons why soldiers commit war crimes as well. Some of those reasons would be due to superior orders defense and to past events that can impact their duty during war. The superior orders defense is when an individual soldier carries out orders that was requested by his superior or commander. In order for a soldier to use the superior orders defense one must comply with what the Military Court of Appeals ruled which states, “The acts of subordinate done in compliance with an unlawful order given him by his superior are excused and impose no criminal liability upon him unless the superior’s order is one which a man of ordinary sense and understanding would, under the circumstances, know to be unlawful, or if the order in questions is actually known to the accused to be unlawful” ( Fichtelberg, 2008, pg.131). A prime example of both reasons would be the case of My Lai.
3. Consider that members of the International Committee of Red Cross witness atrocities and even events that unfold in "death camps." Describe the pros and cons of the neutrality of this organization. In your opinion, should the ICRC remain

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