Review : Alex Bellamy (2004) Ethics and Intervention: The Humanitarian Exception and the Problems of Abuse in the Case of Iraq, Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 41/2, pp. 131-147 - Article Example

Download file to see previous pages The reason used by the U.S. in their invasion of the Iraq was based on the need to have a safer region and use the period to eliminate any wars that would lead to delivery of human assistance to the Iraqis. Whether this was true or not, the U.S and its allies went on to attack the country and overthrow the incumbent government. By claiming that they wanted the Iraqi people to determine their fate in peace, many would think they would save as many civilians from the dreaded brutality of the Saddam regime. However, as Bellamy notes, more than 5,500 civilians were killed by the coalition army alone. The question many asked was whether the coalition army was really saving the Iraqi people are creating a humanitarian condition that was not there initially. The aim is to create and enforce global laws as a means towards attaining a justifiable ending. Moral and naturals emanate from being human and are knowable by just exercising what is considered as moral reasoning (Bellamy 2004: 132). There is also the fact that the strategic document dealing with the justification of the war intended to have nations ratify the feeling that countries should not wait to be attacked for them to lawfully take action that would justify their attack of a rogue state (Bellamy 2004: 136).
The article is quite vocal on the importance of having a greater understanding of what war is all about and the author tries a great deal to show why the attack on Iraq was against the needs of the Iraqi people. The article shows that the misuse of the just war theory led to abuses in during the war and led to the violation of human rights amongst Iraqis who had nowhere else to run to. Their regime was under violent attack and the coalition forces were also killing innocent people. The declaration of holy war as problematic left natural law as the easiest route towards attacking Iraq. This was justifiable as a way of securing the rights of the people, but the legal ...Download file to see next pagesRead More