| Zonder did not like my answer, which is that it is not a crime if the treaty defining it has been, in effect, voided by the actions of others. However, the others actually engaged in criminal acts, having been signatory to the relevant conventions, and having trashed them in the first place. A crime is a matter of law: since the law was established by treaty, if the treaty has in effect been abrogated by the actions of one party, the other party is no longer bound. This does not address the morality of the matter, of course, but on that score, we cannot let the others win by cheating, or we invite more cheating; survival was at stake; and the doctrine of choosing the lesser evil when in dilemma may be invoked. Thus, it was not even immoral to drop the bombs if there were a strong conviction that they were, in the long run, sparing lives. |
