ABSTRACT
The fact that so many found the 2003 coalition’s presumption in invading Iraq
so shocking illustrates a significant development in twenty-first century political
thought. Although war is always horrible, the coalition members’ decision to take
matters into their own hands is not as self-evidently outrageous as its critics tend to
imply. Not only have states committed similar acts throughout history, well-respected
bodies of political thought suggest that they have both the need and the moral
right to do so. The UN Charter itself recognizes the principle of state sovereignty.
