USFP towards Latin America
Context
• Make reference to an aspect of political culture: American exceptionalism
o Textbook: American know-how (the idea of American technological superiority—1 component)
▪ Americans could be successful where others have failed
Components
• International law—2nd component
o Powerful countries like America would enforce international law; Iraq and Libya are prominent
violators of international law
o The environment in which international law; the powerful must do what they will, the weak must
do what they must
o The weak need an international system in which states are required to act
o The United States may transform international system in ways that’s conducive to its own agendas
without needing to mimic other international system
o International law rests on just war principles (Michael Waltzer)
▪ Jus ad bellum (just reasons to resort to warfare)
▪ Jus in bellum (justice within war)
▪ Proportionality: the activities of a few Russian trolls would not justify the use of nukes;
would breach the notion of proportionality
▪ Discrimination (most important): combatants must do whatever’s possible to avoid civilian
causalities; put into international law with support of Americans
• War must be conflict between people and civilians; in WWII, the conflict played out in trenches and vast
majority
o Airpower became much more decisive; during WWI, it wasn’t a decision of decision-makers, but
rather the nature of the conflict
o For example, Intel suggests that there were ball bearings in Germany; Americans took this out, yet
Germans; one of these bombs will hit what was intended
o Collateral damage is a breach of international law; the fact that it wasn’t intended doesn’t absolve
a state’s conduct; the precision bombing was somewhat problematic
▪ Britain and France had no use of airpower
▪ Europeans weren’t constrained in use of it; given this reluctance on part of America
▪ French bombed in daytime; British bombed during daytimes
▪ By the end of WWII, the misgivings of airpower were cleared up
▪ The justification of using airpower completely changed, rather it intended to undermine the
war effort; made attacking civilian targets
o Michael Sherri: there were no constraints in using airpower as a means to use for American
technological superiority
▪ The Nuremberg Laws: these laws must’ve been drawn up
• Weakening of international law has implications on the United States with regards to WWII
o The use of airpower under international law remains underdeveloped especially in the context of
nuclear weapons; America’s only used nuclear weapons in the world (ex. Hiroshima/Nagasaki)
o Kurdis Lamain: faced between a large choice between a Japanese invasion or achieving a rapid
surrender on part of japan; airpower is an easier way to achieve objectives
o The other decision that made these bombings controversial is that there weren’t any military
targets within those cities; American policymakers were confused about this, since Tokyo was
already destroyed by conventional bombing