What is wrong with the justification given for war in Iraq?
The first assumption is that the possible dangers of Saddam’s WMD are greater than the certain death and destruction that would be caused by a war. Obviously there is no basis to reach this conclusion because in both cases we are talking about events that have not yet happened, so none of it can be quantified. Only one thing is certain. If we go to war a lot of people will die and it will cost a huge amount of resources. The first strike principle is based on the perennial advice that has been passed down from father to son for many generations. If you know you are about to get into a fight in the schoolyard, try to get in the first lick. The problem with this schoolyard thinking is that there have been no indications that we are in any danger from Saddam. If there had been any supporting evidence presumably it would have been revealed by this time. Obviously it is impossible to guess Saddam’s, or anybody else’s intentions. Even if we could know what others were thinking it still would
