Fill in the Blank Violates International Law

July 1, 2009

“Violates international law” is a term that has lost its analytical meaning in public debate. Rather, the phrase is merely an intentionally inflammatory allegation, designed to end an argument before it begins. Who could support a country that “violates international law?” The approaches to a country that “violates international law” are self-evident, not needing the benefit of thoughtful analysis, much less debate. Isn’t it obvious what needs to be done to an “international outlaw?” In a recent column in the Jerusalem Post, Caroline Glick, defines and disentangles allegations made and as importantly, those that somehow do not get made, as Israel’s settlements are cited as violations of international law. The point is not that the side with the fewest international violations is the most credible or most just, but that there needs to be agreement on what is meant by this term, before it can be used as a criterion for guiding or coercing policy.