Today we confront a timeless philosophical question: When is war justified? More precisely, when are a people morally entitled to overthrow the authorities ruling over them?  To answer this, consider the paradigm of the United States. In the 1770s, British colonists endured escalating abuses: “taxation without representation,” punitive trade restrictions, and the coercive acts that followed the Boston Tea Party. These were not mere policy disputes but violations of fundamental rights. The colonists petitioned, protested, and finally declared independence—that is, war—in 1776. They took up arms against their lawful sovereign, King George III. They killed and were killed. As children, we were taught these men were heroes—patriots who risked everything for liberty rather than submit to tyranny. By today’s standards, however, they would be branded radical agitators, extremists, domestic terrorists, and insurrectionists. Law-abiding citizens, we are now conditioned to believe, must accept their lot, trust the system, and never resort to violence. Yet the American Founders rejected such passive logic. They understood that sovereignty ultimately resides with the people—and that rulers who betray their trust forfeit their right to rule. FULL ARTICLE AT: https://raymondibrahim.substack.com/p/when-is-war-justified?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=6873559&post_id=202469293&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1v9n4o&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email |
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