03/17/08:Whenever Phone Rings, War Is Illegal - Lee Brown

Whenever Phone Rings, War Is Illegal
The Capital Times :: EDITORIAL :: A9
Monday, March 17, 2008
Lee Brown, Madison

Dear Editor: When the White House phone rings at 3 a.m., I hope the person answering it knows that there is such a thing as international law.

The rule of law has been around for a long time, but it was not until 1945 that lots of these "diplomatic understandings" were formalized and written down. Since World War II many more detailed laws have been agreed to in treaties regulating shipping, air travel, space, commerce and much more.

Actually, war became illegal in 1945. Hard to believe? But it is right there in the United Nations Charter, Article 2, Paragraph 3. The rule is stated so directly one can not miss the point: "All members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered."

Now, after America has fought so many wars since 1945 that we cannot agree on the number, U.S. citizens are having second thoughts. But can we turn the war machine off? When the 2009 federal budget projects spending $712.5 billion for war and only $9 billion for diplomacy and foreign aid, you might say dollarwise the die has been cast.