Do we have the right to kill innocent civilians of foreign countries?

Question

Those that say yes -- is this right restricted only to us? What if China thought -- "you know, the US is out of control, declaring illegal pre-emptive war on Iraq. We might be next. Let's strike first before they do."

Then, let's say they decide to bomb LA and kill 2 million civilians.

If this would be wrong for China, why is it OK for us to bomb Iraqi civilians?

What determines when it is right and when it is wrong?

Billy -- when we drop bombs, we know we are going to kill innocent civilians. We do it anyway. Collateral damage is not a surprise. Therefore, it is pre-meditated.

KLN -- if they come here, they are not innocent civilians. In that case, they are enemy soldiers -- and I say fry 'em to Hell.

Pilot B -- what is the basis for this right?

badjansse -- I don't pat myself on the back for having better morals than scumbags. If we are a nation based on Judeo-Christian values, we have a clear set of higher standards.

Nomadder - 9/11 was barbaric, but not more barbaric than what we have done in Iraq. Fallujah, for example, was a wanton massacre.

Captain -- you think all those women and children of Fallujah were Syrian and Iranian car bombers?

SGT -- you were on the ground when the cluster bombs were going off? Amazing. That must be your ghost doing the typing.

Bag-Pete -- these people are at home in their own country. Does that qualify as "asking for it?" Where are they supposed to move to? Do we send out warnings -- "hey, Mrs. Fateh, we will be bombing your neighborhood next Friday, please move or be incinerated." Think about this for a moment. It's patently absurd.

Mommy -- first off, your name is horrendous. "mommy"? You've got to be kidding. So, I guess your logic is two wrongs make a right? Don't mommies teach infants that "two wrongs don't make a right"? Maybe you should forfeit your mommy badge.

Monreda -- not one Iraqi was involved in 9/11. So, your parallel makes no sense.

Zach, you have some nerve quoting Geneva Conventions. Since when were Geneva Conventions relevant to anything we are doing in Iraq? I suppose those conventions sanction pre-emptive strike, suspension of habeus corpus, and torture of detainees. Give me a break!

Answer 1

No one is authorized to kill innocent civilians in war and in peace because it is a violation of the Geneva Convention.

Answer 2

Killing "innocent" lives does suck. But when you have unconventional terrorists, disguising themselves as civilians, everybody is a threat. Terrorists don't follow the Geneva Convention rules 1) Must be commanded by a person who is resoposible for subordinates, 2) Must wear a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance 3) Bear arms openly, 4) MUST CONDUCT OPERATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR!

Now with those 4 rules being said, how many terrorists have you seen in the news doing so? As far as I'm concerned they blend in with the local population because they don't give a **** about casualties they only care about their cause. They use the Iraqi population to cover themselves knowing if we bomb them, we also bomb a hundred lives. If they don't give a **** about their own people then why should I?

It is like the presidents decision to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That event not only killed hundreds of thousands of people but it also saved millions of lives and it ended the war. Sacrafice a sheep to save the herd.

Answer 3

Hey we bombed Dresden Germany during WW2 and 80,000 civillians died. Stuff Happens my friend, its called war. And if civillians stay in a war zone, then sucks to be them. I'm in Baghdad now, its my choice to be here and I know that I could be killed. If I am, oh well - I asked for it...

Answer 4

9/11 ring a bell? They do kill innocent civilians. Pearl Harbor ring any bells either???
I am soooooo tired of people saying we are evil Americans we shouldn't have the right to kill civilians. Casualties of war. GET OVER IT!!!!!

Answer 5

No, as Americans, we should try and kill all those Syrian and Iranian car bombers that are killing the civillians in Iraq.

Answer 6

ask that right after 9/11 did ya...????? i guess what your forgetting is that according to muslims, none of us non believers ( in islam) are innocent civilians....so..just because they are taught that from an early age...does it make it true..??? what about innocent soldiers..??? most soldiers go into the military to protect and serve, not to kill and invade...so does that make it right for muslims to kill soldiers at our bases around the world..???

Answer 7

What about our civilians? September 11. Did they have the right. It goes both ways.

Answer 8

Name one war where innocent civilians were not killed! You don't win PC wars, you win wars by attrition. You win by killing people until they no longer have the means or the will to fight. Look what happened to Dresden, Nagasaki, Hiroshima. Then look at the outcome from these actions.

Answer 9

Were you in Falluja? Cause I was. And I saw no wontons being massacred.

Alright, enough with the jokes. You are a fool. Keep drinking the cool aid and believing everything you see.

Answer 10

Familiar with the term, "collateral damage"?

It's a tragic side effect of any war. Can't be helped.