Enola Aird et al.

Military action against terrorists is necessary and justifiable, Enola Aird, the director of the Motherhood Project, and her fellow authors argue in the following viewpoint. They contend that war can be just if it is fought by a legitimate authority under certain restrictions, such as protecting innocents from certain harm and only targeting combatants. The authors assert that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were unlawful and wanton acts justifying a military response by the United States. They conclude that war may be the best way to prevent terrorists from wreaking horrific devastation on the world. This viewpoint was issued as a letter on February 12, 2002, by the nonpartisan think tank Institute for American Values.

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1. What is sometimes the first and most important reply to evil...