Norms and Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Norms and Security - Essay Example His article is extremely credible and his style of writing that of a person intimately associated with the intricacies of international political scenario. In this article he poses three very pertinent questions. One, where this norm originates? Two, to what extent does it influence state actions? Three, why does this norm exceed other â€Å"ethical injunctions†? in the United States, the dual conundrums of an intransigent Saddam Hussein and terrorists such as Osama bin Laden have raised calls in Congress and among the media for assassination to be considered as a policy option (105). He points out that historically political assassination has not been resorted to by â€Å"great powers† and whole scale war has been the preferred option even though the collateral damage in case of a full scale war is much more and leads to the loss of many innocent lives and destruction of property. He cities that,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ethical concerns usually place assassinations off-limits as a policy option especially when the target is an international leader† (105), but due to monumental changes in the way the international politics is conducted today, reality has taken precedence over idealism and by extension ethics and morality have been side lined in international affairs. In conclusion his pragmatic approach to political assassinations is that in this modern world of real politic where terrorism and guerilla warfare have replaced the traditional modes of violence this option or ploy of political assassinations, albeit â€Å"unethical† (105) to achieve certain political ends is perfectly