the iraq war. legal, or illegal?

sorry, no poll. now to the point

The U.N charter (which the U.S ratified) says that no country can go to war, unless war is approved by the UN security council. when the US, UK, Italy, and many other nations launched the invasion of 2003, the UN security council had not approved of the invasion.

I have heard that the US was allowed under the UN charter to invade iraq because a resolution passed in 2002 allowed the US to use military force if it was enforcing UN resolutions.

is the above statement in fact true?

I agree with giton. The war was bad, obviously had other motives, and, first and foremost, betrayed the American people's trust in the government after 9/11. And, to be honest, that U.N. resolution is a fantasy. Nations will declare war because they want to, or must. No "councel" will convince them otherwise. Furthermore, nearly every international organization, without the U.S, is just a worthless get-together between old statesmen. If the U.S. doesn't back something up, chances are it will be usless.

Is it true that we never declared war on Iraq? I think so.cool_baller

Yes, I believe that is true. Congress authorized the use of force, continues to authorize additional funding, but fell short of officially using the 'w' word.

Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.EboyLOL

Just like the League of Nations

It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalCedric169

The UN is kind of like a dog with no legs. It can bark, but it's never going to do anything.

The UN is kind of like a dog with no legs. It can bark, but it's never going to do anything.

1ND1FF3R3NT

it is irrelevant to me whether the invasion of iraq was legal or illegal. it was wrong.giton

What if right and wrong is relative?

[QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

[QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

[QUOTE="giton"]it is irrelevant to me whether the invasion of iraq was legal or illegal. it was wrong.1ND1FF3R3NT

What if right and wrong is relative?

then you'd have no standard by which to assess the truth of an ethical question.

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalgiton

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

[QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

How many legal wars do you know?sonicare

Besides Revolutions, there aren't any. EDIT: I should probably toss in Civil as well.

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalmig_killer2

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

[QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.EboyLOL

Balls to do what exactly?...

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalmig_killer2

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Scroll down to the part about the UNSCOM inspections 1991-1998.

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.jointed

Balls to do what exactly?...

[QUOTE="jointed"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.quiglythegreat

Balls to do what exactly?...

But France and Germany said that openly....

[QUOTE="quiglythegreat"][QUOTE="jointed"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.jointed

Balls to do what exactly?...

But France and Germany said that openly....

[QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Scroll down to the part about the UNSCOM inspections 1991-1998.

[QUOTE="jointed"][QUOTE="quiglythegreat"][QUOTE="jointed"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Yes. Do the United Nations have the balls to act? No.quiglythegreat

Balls to do what exactly?...

But France and Germany said that openly....

You are acting exactly like the Soviets...nothing to be proud of.

Could not care less on how it start. It is just time to finish the job in my opinion. Mop them up.buxboy

Mop who up exactly? There are people coming to that country from all over the Arab world to continue the guerilla war. So how exactly, especially when the enemy combatants all look like civilians until they have a bomb strapped to their backs. It's not like we're fighting against a nation, or even an easily identifiable group of people. We're fighting certain individuals from a number of specific sects of Islam. So how do we just, mop them up?

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalmig_killer2

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Scroll down to the part about the UNSCOM inspections 1991-1998.

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalmig_killer2

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Scroll down to the part about the UNSCOM inspections 1991-1998.

I don't know who you listen to, buxboy, but I have never heard anyone seriously say that the WMd's were smuggled out of the country (what would be the point, it's not like Saddam or anyone in Iraq had a chance to use them once we took over). Further, if they did have WMD's why the heck wouldn't the Iraqi army have used them to try to squelch our invasion. I mean, if someone tried to invade the US, we would pull out all the stops save the nukes to keep people out.

No, most people by now realize there never were any WMD's, just like there never was an attack on a US vessle in the Gulf of Tonkin prior to Vietnam. It was an excuse to go to war, and now all the hawks are talking about how great it was we disposed of Saddam, who was such an amazingly evil guy (that's sarcasm; and, I'm not saying he was a good guy, but no worse than Milosevich, and we never deposed him, we just forced him to stop killing people). I'd say we had no right to get rid of Saddam, but we put him in power. Then we got rid of him once he no longer served our purpose.

[QUOTE="buxboy"]Could not care less on how it start. It is just time to finish the job in my opinion. Mop them up.Insane00

Mop who up exactly? There are people coming to that country from all over the Arab world to continue the guerilla war. So how exactly, especially when the enemy combatants all look like civilians until they have a bomb strapped to their backs. It's not like we're fighting against a nation, or even an easily identifiable group of people. We're fighting certain individuals from a number of specific sects of Islam. So how do we just, mop them up?

[QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

invading another country is not the same as feeding starving people. invasion is an initiation of force when those you invade have not attacked you. offering food to people who are starving does not involve force; the ones who are starving willingly accept the food that is offered. how many people willing accept "liberation" when it results in their deaths and the destruction of their property? or do you consider it benevolence when you kill some innocent people to secure your objectives in a foreign land?

How many legal wars do you know?sonicare

you see that as a justification for invading another country? "legal" is a matter of definition and law, not a gauge of morality or value.

[QUOTE="sonicare"]How many legal wars do you know?LukeAF24

Besides Revolutions, there aren't any. EDIT: I should probably toss in Civil as well.

the legality of aggression is irrelevant to the ethical questions that it presents.

[QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalInsane00

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

Scroll down to the part about the UNSCOM inspections 1991-1998.

I don't know who you listen to, buxboy, but I have never heard anyone seriously say that the WMd's were smuggled out of the country (what would be the point, it's not like Saddam or anyone in Iraq had a chance to use them once we took over). Further, if they did have WMD's why the heck wouldn't the Iraqi army have used them to try to squelch our invasion. I mean, if someone tried to invade the US, we would pull out all the stops save the nukes to keep people out.

No, most people by now realize there never were any WMD's, just like there never was an attack on a US vessle in the Gulf of Tonkin prior to Vietnam. It was an excuse to go to war, and now all the hawks are talking about how great it was we disposed of Saddam, who was such an amazingly evil guy (that's sarcasm; and, I'm not saying he was a good guy, but no worse than Milosevich, and we never deposed him, we just forced him to stop killing people). I'd say we had no right to get rid of Saddam, but we put him in power. Then we got rid of him once he no longer served our purpose.

To answer your argument concerning the Iraqi Military using them against us, there are many things that would have stopped them from even thinking about it. One would be the after affects, the land damage, and several other things.

Concerning the Vietnam war, we entered that conflict after France's colonization failed. We also entered to stop the movement of communism in the world, and keep people free and in a democracy.

One last thing concerning this, the US is the country that everyone calls on when someone, somewhere in the world is causing trouble. We are the, "Police of the World." We put a stop to the evil that is happening all over the world. If we didn't have the right to go into Iraq, did Saddam have the right to kill thousands of innocent people?

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalgiton

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

invading another country is not the same as feeding starving people. invasion is an initiation of force when those you invade have not attacked you. offering food to people who are starving does not involve force; the ones who are starving willingly accept the food that is offered. how many people willing accept "liberation" when it results in their deaths and the destruction of their property? or do you consider it benevolence when you kill some innocent people to secure your objectives in a foreign land?

[QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

that only makes a difference if the existence of WMDs is equivalent to their use. no one believes that and I can prove it.

the US possesses weapons of mass destruction. does that give other countries a right to invade the US? north korea may think so and perhaps Iran and even venezuala, but i do not think so and i'm sure you do not think so either.

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalgiton

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

that only makes a difference if the existence of WMDs is equivalent to their use. no one believes that and I can prove it.

the US possesses weapons of mass destruction. does that give other countries a right to invade the US? north korea may think so and perhaps Iran and even venezuala, but i do not think so and i'm sure you do not think so either.

Sometimes, the UN will write an angry letter.Oleg_Huzwog

i guess you'd call that a genre of literature, and a boring one at that?

[QUOTE="giton"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="mig_killer2"][QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="giton"]

[QUOTE="buxboy"][QUOTE="Cedric169"]It was wrong to do that war, I don't think is illegalbuxboy

yes. the US had no right to interfere.

To address the issue of WMDs, most are saying they were movied to Iran or Syria. I am not completely sure. Either way, we are doing our job.

that only makes a difference if the existence of WMDs is equivalent to their use. no one believes that and I can prove it.

the US possesses weapons of mass destruction. does that give other countries a right to invade the US? north korea may think so and perhaps Iran and even venezuala, but i do not think so and i'm sure you do not think so either.