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Assent obtained through diplomatic pressure from a much larger country does not count, the US getting its allies to OK its various invasions counts about as muc
by whatshisface 5y ago
Assent obtained through diplomatic pressure from a much larger country does not count, the US getting its allies to OK its various invasions counts about as much as Belarus' support of the Ukraine invasion. (It's a complex comparison because Belarus is both subject to much more pressure and is getting involved in a very direct way, but I contend that the pressure/action ratio is similar between the two cases.) There is a reason the UN and the idea of international law is talked about more in the context of Africa than anywhere else[0], it is the only place where none of the countries involved are powerful enough to make a farce of it.
[0] Look at some wikipedia articles describing various armed conflicts and see which ones mention the UN acting in a significant capacity.
- grumple 5y ago> Assent obtained through diplomatic pressure from a much larger country does not count This is a pretty absurd statement and use of the no true Scotsman fallacy. If that's the case, you'd just say "No diplomacy from the US ever 'counts' because they are bigger/more powerful / whatever".
- whatshisface 5y agoIt's more of a "no true unicorn" than a "no true Scotsman." I cannot think of a single act of international aggression that was truly justified, in the high-minded sense of "international law," only ones which had assent from the allies of the aggressor as well as non-allied states they were able to pressure into going along with it.