We can't wait for our children to grow up and change the world. Intelligent Disobedience is needed now!
The most alarmed questions I get concern the President of the US ordering a nuclear strike. Will the military agree?
If the order is illegal, the military code is clear: personnel are required to NOT OBEY illegal orders. The situation is more problematic if the order is legal but very ill advised and its execution can cause tremendous damage. We certainly cannot condone a military that initiates acts of war without civilian control. But can we condone and even count on a military that resists orders that would start a catastrophic war?
I noticed last week that a NATO unit conducted a discussion of whether orders can ever be disobeyed and under what circumstances? Given the extraordinary caliber of the US military, I have confidence that serious ethical discussions have occurred and that protocols are in place to review any orders that may place political or psychological factors above the true needs of national and international security.
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