In a world where nuclear weapons could soon be in the hands of a rogue nation like Iran, an Israeli preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be fully justified. Despite its ban on aggressive war, Article 51 of the United Nations Charter clearly recognizes a state’s inherent right of self-defense.
When the U.S. House and Senate voted last week to pass resolutions authorizing the use of military force against Saddam Hussein\’s regime in Iraq, the domestic political debate surrounding the war issue was brought to rest, at least for the time being. But for many people across the nation and around the world, Congress\’ political decision merely fueled the heated ethical debate surrounding the legitimacy of waging such a war.
Last week I worried in this space that our college students were ill-equipped to defend American Jewry\’s pro-Israel position. I asked for a volunteer to explain what\’s going on. Luckily, Donald Cohen-Cutler, a UC Davis freshman and an international relations major, stepped up to the plate.
I say \”luckily\” because events on campus are even worse than I had suspected. Of course, I remember the beginnings of the Jewish-Muslim rift on campus during the first intifada. But I don\’t remember blatant insults to Jewish ritual and history. That\’s what\’s happening now (see story, page 10).
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