US involovement in Korea essays

US involovement in Korea essays The question of whether The United States was right to enter into the Korean war is not a geomilitary question, but rather an ethical one. Was the US just in their decision? To respond to this dilemma, we look to Just War Theory as our guide. Just War Theory denotes the inevitability of war, distinguishing between a moral and immoral war. The basic qualifications for a Just war involve a defensive or Punitive war. An offensive war is usually the immoral one. Aristotle helps to justify Just War Theory with his notion that, "No one chooses to be at war or provokes war for the sake of war...We make war that we may live at peace." In the late 1940's, the United States viewed the Soviet threat in regards to their expansionist abilities. The US feared the psychological pressure forced upon the periphery countries of the Soviet Union. The priorities of The US centered around the strengthening of Western Europe and the peripheral countries in order to build their self-confidence in the struggle with Communist intrusion. The State department's attitude, cited by John Foster Dulles, was that, "If conduct indicates a disposition to fall back and allow doubtful areas to fall under Communist control, then many nations will feel confirmed in the impression." In Cicero's Just War theory, he clarifies that war, "...should be a lastresort, turned to only when discussion is unsuccessful." Why did the US not try to negotiate before the Korean War? The truth is that the US could not negotiate until the Soviet's changed. As it was, the Soviet's had the negotiation advantage of both secrecy and the ability to manipulate public opinion by isolating the public from external influence. Through this lack of public opinion, the US and Soviets had few negotiations at all before the war and were not about to begin them now. The US could not negotiate with the Soviets until the Soviets came to the realization that their capabilities for Eurasian domination w...