Michael J. Glennon

According to Michael J. Glennon in the following viewpoint, careful use of preemptive strikes against terrorists and the nations that harbor them is a legitimate method for protecting national security. He argues against claims that preemptive strikes run counter to international laws forbidding the use of force except in self-defense. In fact, he points out, such laws are archaic, as evidenced by the majority of United Nations members who have used preemptive strikes. Michael J. Glennon is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.; professor of law at the University of California, Davis, Law School; and author of Limits of Law, Prerogatives of Power: Interventionism After Kosovo.

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1. What does Article 51 of the UN Charter state...