Legitimate Authority

Paper Summary:

The paper explains the principle of legitimate authority, which mandates that war cannot be waged against any government, nation or population without it first being authorized and approved by the proper legal authorities. The paper shows how the current war in Iraq and civil war in America are used as examples of this principle.

From the Paper:

"One example of this policy can be seen in the United States. In America the body of Congress is able to declare war, and in fact is the only body of government with the authority to do so(Principle of Legitimate Authority http://atheism.about.com/od/warandmorality/a/jusadbellum_3.htm).
"Because Congress is comprised of many political representatives, and a majority must agree to declare war, the US public is protected from having its government go into a war without considering the consequences first."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Iraq (accessed 6-23-07)http://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=36
• Principle of Legitimate Authority (accessed 6-23-07)http://atheism.about.com/od/warandmorality/a/jusadbellum_3.htm

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