If patriotism is, as Samuel Johnson suggested, the last refuge of a scoundrel, then self-defense is the last refuge of an aggressor. The justification of self-defense comes readily to the lips of both paranoids and those who reasonably wish to defend themselves against imminent attack. The argument for America's putative invasion of Iraq is, of course, self-defense, that is, the need to shield itself and its allies against Saddam Hussein's possible use of weapons of mass destruction.
If patriotism is, as Samuel Johnson suggested, the last refuge of a scoundrel, then self-defense is the last refuge of an aggressor. The justification of self-defense comes readily to the lips of both paranoids and those who reasonably wish to defend themselves against imminent attack. The argument for America's putative invasion of Iraq is, of course, self-defense, that is, the need to shield itself and its allies against Saddam Hussein's possible use of weapons of mass destruction.