• Pyr@lemmy.ca
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      3 days ago

      It’s technically not illegal to invade another country unprovoked. It’s illegal to do war crimes though. You can invade a country and annex it without committing warcrimes.

      • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        No it is literally illegal to invade another country unprovoked, the crime is called “war of aggression”. It is one of the foundational pillars of international law. The Nuremberg judgement called aggressive war the “supreme international crime”. This is the reason US shuns and delegitimizes the ICC and the ICJ, the two bodies supposedly enforcing international law.

        It is also separately illegal to annex another country even by mere threat of force, even if no actual force was used.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      3 days ago

      War isn’t actually illegal. I know it feels like it should be, but it really isn’t. People say a war is “illegal” because I suppose they feel like it carries more weight than to just say it’s “immoral”. I guess it’s somehow comforting to people to think that somehow some lawyers could prevent countries from going to war somehow.

      • ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        He very clearly said that such an order from the POTUS would be illegal, and that no one in the chain of command would consider it as a legal order. The POTUS can not giver a legal order to attack a country that the US has a peace agreement with, and both countries are covered by the NATO agreement.

      • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        But there are illegal wars. Iran right now is illegal it wasn’t approved by Congress. Trump is basically using legal bullfuckery and a lack of consequences to do that shit.

    • Jason2357@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Because its a hypothetical where the journalist didnt specify “unlawful order”. Its a bs gocha question. There are hypothetical situations where it would be lawful, regardless of how likely.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      3 days ago

      Lawful /= you agree with it, basically.

      To see why this is definitely within the powers the president has, swap “Canada” for “Vietnam”, “Iraq” or “Iran”. For more detail, you’d have to refer to the actual laws of war the US government recognises.

      • ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        Canada and America are bound bu the NATO agreement. Under American law that makes any order to attack Canada not a legal order. Any military officer who abides by that order commits an offense under American law. That is why it is ‘preposterous’. That was a factually correct term, not his opinion.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          3 days ago

          There isn’t any nation where the military can just disagree. Even under a military junta, it’s only the junta itself that gets a say; everyone lower down must follow orders (even the ones involving atrocities, in that case. The West is weird for exempting something).

          That said, yeah, America isn’t looking so good these days.

          • ProudCanadianCitizen@lemmy.ca
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            2 days ago

            In America it is illegal for a member of the military to obey a command that is not legal. If they do obey, or even issue a command that is not legal, they can be prosecuted and if found guilty imprisoned.

            • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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              2 days ago

              Yes, .ml person. I’m sure you believe that. And also that North Korea is better, somehow. 'Nuff said.

              Edit: Clearly, the username is ironic, with this much effort to get into a fight.

              • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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                1 day ago

                If you don’t believe that both the US and Canada were founded on unspeakable genocide (which inspired the holocaust BTW) and slavery you are delusional. North Korea (for all its faults) was founded by those who resisted and fought the genocidal oppressors. Read a damn book.

              • Nonconfrontational@lemmy.ml
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                3 days ago

                I believe in history, lol? Why are you bringing up North Korea?

                Is your brain okay?

                Edit: clearly this person wasn’t interested in a conversation at all, based on my instance, lol?