Preemptive War

Preemptive war "punishes the defenseless not for what
they have done or are doing but for what they might have done or could
do."
—Eduardo Galeano,
PaxHumana, September 2003

International Court of Justice

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
spelled out exactly what no nation can legally do in light of its commitments
to uphold the U.N. Charter: 'Thus it would be illegal for a state
to threaten force to secure territory from another State, or to cause it to
follow or not follow certain political or economic paths'," according to
Ann Fagan Ginger, Executive Director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties
Institute.

Anticipatory Self-Defense

"The prevailing view probably is that, one way or another, anticipatory
self-defense is permissible but traditionally has required the existence of an
imminent threat," writes Steven C. Walsh, research analyst at the Center for Defense Information.