My initial reaction would be to side with Congress. The War Powers Resolution allows the president to engage in an act of war without the consent of congress only in the case of an attack on the United States, or by “statutory authorization”. Based on this, the legislative branch seems to be in the right in this situation. I would ask the president questions pertaining to the goals of the US forces in the region, and questions to Congress such as to their opposition to the presidents actions.…
While many scholars attempted to theorize war in human history, only few were credited for constructing consistent theories on which people could base and further their understanding of war and warfare. Those include Greek Thucydides, Chinese Sun Tzu, and Indian Kautilya all three from 3-4th century BC; Prussian Carl von Clausewitz and Swiss Antoine-Henry Jomini both from 19th century. All of those prominent theorist had a lot to offer and therefore had great influence on our thinking in war, warfare, and strategy. However, Clausewitz’s theory offers more insight if one carefully and purposely studied the “paradoxical trinity” identified in his…
deserve to receive this unbearable loss? It makes others wonder is it worth all of the suffering in this war? How many of our brothers and sisters have to pass before we realize the true negatives of the war? Close relatives and friends of these fallen soldiers may be so hurt from such a horrific loss that they are never able to fully recover. Making not only the dead soldiers victim, but also the family and friends of the soldier. Some of the victims close friends and family may never fully recover from a loss of this magnitude. Making it harder yet on the family creating not only an emotional problem but it physical problem due to depression and other side effects. For those lucky enough to return to their families, their recovery is…
The art of war has rules that are in place to insure that even in war, discipline is maintained. The Rules of Engagement (ROE) work well when each level adheres to the specific details assigned to them. The ROE also works well when the two opposing sides are equally matched. Understanding the ROE is key to understanding what went on during the war in Viet Nam. Each level of military combat has a responsibility and a role to play in the ROE.("," para. 4)…
Tim O’Brein is an author who often writes about war themed stories. He tries to make people feel and think about war, he himself was a war veteran. He served two years in the Vietnam War, the same war the Private First Class Paul Berlin is fighting in in the story. He makes points about how war can change a person, how war can scar your memories, and about how it can effect everybody.…
Looking back to American history, some cringe with regret at events that were catastrophic and villainous. While in some instances we overwhelmed with pride for the right decisions our ancestors chose. But it is events like the US - mexican war that brings us the realization that in order for America to be the great nation it is, the war was a necessary act. Amy Greenberg’s A Wicked War captures the lives of five important people that left their legacy in American history.…
Military theory spans centuries of conflict all across the world. As such, military theorists have written in a variety of military climates, varying from the absence of gun powder to the presence of nuclear weapons. However, some military theories are transcendent. Some elements of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz are eternally wise. While their similarities may become universal truths, their differences are equally worthy of study because, it is in the differences where choices are made. Sun Tzu and Clausewitz agreed that war is chaos, military action is a tool for diplomatic goals and, as such, the results of warfare are not final. Their differences lie in how they advocate for waging war. The style and preparations for war contrast. This is where…
In the journal article critique “The Presence of the Present: Hijacking ‘Hijacking ‘The Good War’?” the authors, V. William Balthrop, Carole Blair, and Neil Michel, critique the WWII Memorial, which was opened up to the public in 2004. They state clearly in their thesis that “[They] contend that the Memorial’s rhetoric affirms contemporary U.S. imperialism under the revered sign of World War II, ‘speaking’ more about the present than about the past. [They] argue that this interpretation forwards important issues for memory studies, about assessing the ethical and political legitimacy of particular renditions of the past in the present”(Balthrop, Blari, Michel…
The part of the just war theory is called jus ad bellum. There must be a just cause, right authority, proportionality, the goal of peace, with war as a last resort. A country cannot attack another country for more wealth or for more respect. They must attack on behalf of an innocent third country or group. Right authority means that war must be declared by the proper authorities and not by private companies. Proportionality means that the potential war must be assessed regarding the cost of the war and the benefits from the war. The country must also decide whether or not the potential gains outweigh the loss of human lives and the cost of the war. Next, “will the destructiveness of the proposed conflict outweigh any enhancement of other human values?” That means will the war any enhance aspects of the human life more than the violence that will occur during the war. The purpose of the war must be for peace, not solely to win glory. Finally, the war must be a last resort, meaning that all other methods for peace must be attempted before resorting to…
Human beings have been fighting with each other since prehistoric times, and people have been discussing the rights and wrongs of it. The Ethics of War begins by assuming that war is a bad thing, and should be avoided if possible, but there can be situations when war may be catastrophic. War is a bad thing because it involves deliberately killing or injuring people, and this is a fundamental wrong. The purpose of war ethics is to help decide what is right or wrong, both for individuals and countries, and to contribute to debates on public policy, and ultimately to government and individual action.…
War is never an easy discussion; it is a subject people constantly debate, especially in regards to total war. Questioning the morality of total war is an issue due to the elasticity of the definition, which is dependent upon the individual. General William T. Sherman’s total war strategy in Georgia and the Carolinas is arguably morally acceptable -even though it included waging war against the civilian population- when taking into account the benefits versus the costs. There were excessive actions taken by Sherman’s soldiers, which stemmed from their prejudices towards the southern population. However, as a result of Sherman’s plan the war ended in a swift victory for the North. The justification and by association the morality of total war…
In today's society, the possession and effective use of force is necessary. We have to recognize that we live in an imperfect world where evil seems to be an inevitablity. Our constant need for power makes the idea of a violent free world unimaginable. As long as we continue on this power hungry path the political issues will continue on this same path. Force is necessary with our current societal conditions and can be looked at as irresponsible when a nation does not prepare for the necessity of force. Any political conversation that entails the words, truth, liberty or peace run hand in hand with the use of force to create them. The perspective of some people are…
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Polyhydroxyalkanoates: bioplastics with a green agenda Tajalli Keshavarz and Ipsita Roy Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has been investigated for more than eighty years but recently a number of factors including increase in the price of crude oil and public awareness of the environmental issues have become a notable driving force for extended research on biopolymers. The versatility of PHAs has made them good candidates for the study of their potential in a variety of areas from biomedical/ medical fields to food, packaging, textile and household material. While production costs are still a drawback to wider usage of these biopolymers, their application as low volume high cost items is becoming a reality. The future trend is to focus on the development of more efficient and economical processes for PHA production, isolation, purification and improvement of PHA material properties.…
Nussbaum says that there are absolutes. However, it is virtues that have value, not rules. We should strive for Justice, Wisdom, Temperance etc. rather than looking for absolute rules. When thinking about whether to go to war, there are no absolute rules (You must not kill an innocent person, for example, is seen as impractical as all wars lead to innocent people dying). However, we have elected a leader who we want to act justly, to be temperate, to have wisdom etc.…
Comparing from the times of Alexander the Great, warfare has immensely evolved. For almost 10,000 years, combat technologies did not change until around 1000 AD. During this time, the Chinese had discovered the potential of gun powder and were using it for fireworks. A few hundred years later, Arab and Western European powers had started to develop fire-arms and cannons (powered by gunpowder) for combating the Mongolians in the East and Native Americans in the West. In addition with the advancements of aerospace technologies, warfare has changed more than ever.…