that shouldn’t be a dilemma.
And it probably won’t be, just not how you’re implying
It shouldn’t be. It should be simple and clear cut. Soldiers are required to disobey illegal orders.
The problem is, they are also required to follow lawful orders. And if there’s a dispute, the deck is stacked very heavily in favor of the guys giving the orders, particularly when they are coming from the top. That is an especially bleak prospect with Pete Kegsbreath in command, a man who overtly rejects the idea of rules in war and embraces brutality and lawlessness. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to make an example out of anyone who refuses an order no matter how blatantly illegal.
And it gets a lot harder when there is a lot of gray area and incomplete information. The guy pulling the trigger doesn’t necessarily know the full intelligence assessment of the target. If their orders say that they are hitting legitimate military targets, they may not have enough information to conclude that they are about to commit a war crime. And even with all the information, it still might be unclear because, legally speaking, the difference between a legitimate and illegitimate target can come down to specific details and interpretation. When you’re fighting for your life in court and have to prove that no one with half a brain and a shred of conscience would follow that particular order, you really don’t want the answer to ‘is it a war crime?’ to be “well it depends…”
So yes, they absolutely should refuse to commit war crimes. But it’s a lot easier to say that when you aren’t the one potentially throwing their life away by taking that stand.
At one point in the book, the military aide carrying the “nuclear football” tries to stop the president getting his hands on it and is disciplined for his actions.
Asked what confidence he had that someone in the chain of command now would intervene to stop Trump, Lewis simply replied: “None.”
“He has consistently purged the military of anybody who he thinks would stand up to him or resist him,” he said.
I don’t think it is out of the question that Trump may drop a nuclear bomb on Iran or Israel might use its nuclear arsenal on Iran if the US tries to pull put and de-escalate and it makes my heart heavy. So much unnecessary damage has already been done, so much hate has already been formented, we need to stop this escalation into world war 3 it is awful.
The damage to desalination plants in that region of the world is tragic alone.
Its only a dilemma if you dont have morals.
Generals RN
Irl Milgram experiment
They will die in their bunkers.
