The Fury of Aerial Bombardment

Killing people in war is surely one of the more troubling ethical quandaries - for if to kill is immoral, when is such murder justified, even by a state or nation? Whole religions and philosophies have come across the fields carrying such answers. One needs not be too hypocritical - if a bomb had killed Hitler during WW2, very few people would call that a terrible crime.

As such, targeting the head of the snake is a valid war aim. And, if the war is valid, then the act is rendered - as far as things go - just. Still, the killing of some of the Libyan leader's family - including a son, and three grand-children, feels wrong - it seems a step too far - a step beyond the permitted limits of the UN mandate. It feels like murder. Murder in the name of a cause, maybe, but murder still. It is to be hoped that the conflict in Libya is resolved soon.

This most recent attack by NATO is likely to entrench fury and intransigence, not lead to surrender. It does, if nothing else, remind us that war is never kind or peaceful, and that horrible, cruel things happen to humans when the mad dogs of war are unleashed; no matter how rational the leash-holder may claim to be.

Comments

Poetry Pleases! said…

Dear Todd

It would be an awful lot easier to bomb Gaddafi and his family if Blair and Brown (and other western leaders) hadn't spent recent years publicly snuggling up to him. To me the whole thing reeks of abject hypocrisy.

Best wishes from Simon

Sun May 01, 11:10:00 am 2011

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