Sat, Mar 21 · 5:00 PM MST
This month, Kali is making the argument that: "The US is not justified in initiating war, military conflict, or use of force with Iran without consulting allies. " She is arguing more generally that: "No major power is justified in initiating a war (or use of force) without consulting its allies ."
No topic had been decided upon until yesterday (Monday, March 16), when I suggested to Kali that she make an argument. She is still thinking about her point of view. She says she is thinking about how diplomacy could have prevented this war, and about how US allies could move forward.
To make her argument, Kali is looking at modern presidents who have not initiated war, military conflict, or use of force during their presidencies in 3 categories. Presidencies that have not initiated:
at all
except when it was defensive actions
without consulting their allies first and getting their support
"Defensive" actions include two types that have legal frameworks:
Retaliatory (i.e., for attacks on U.S. bases, personnel, etc.).
Preventive counterterrorism (i.e., to prevent future attacks on U.S. forces, allies, or strategic interests)
We are currently meeting up every third Saturday at the UUC on 22nd.
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We are still looking for someone to offer a counter argument. Depending on how the discussion goes, if there is time, we may also follow up on the discussion about the purpose of government from our last event.
