About the legitimacy of armed rebellion. [View All]

[howard112211]

I think it is out of question that in principle the use of force against a dictator is justified, simply because of the right to self-defense of the individual.

The interesting question is to what degree one has to right to use civil war for the goal to oust a dictator, which inevitably draws other individuals into the conflict who per se might have not have any interest in participating, for what ever reason. Perhaps because they fear their children may become collateral damage of the conflict.

I do not think a group of rebels indisputably has the right to decide for an entire nation that it is time to take up arms and thus escalate a conflict to a point where it puts everyone at risk of becoming collateral damage. Where is the democratic mandate for that?