Zack Sorenson

If The US Used Arbitration Instead Of War

by Zack Sorenson | Jun 7, 2017 | Blog

I previously discussed why I believe that the American revolution is only half-complete. In my opinion, a government consistent with the principles and premises of the American revolution would not have the constitutional right to go to war. Such a government would also not be authorized to treat any foreign persons in any manner except one which is consistent with the normal constitutional protections granted to citizens. How would such a government defend the rights of its citizens abroad, or redress grievances with foreign powers? The answer is arbitration. A traditional European state...

America Ended On September 11

by Zack Sorenson | Jun 6, 2017 | Blog

The American republic, with its revolutionary constitutional premises, ended on September 11. September 11, 1941, that is. This was the date of the groundbreaking of the Department of War's new headquarters: the Pentagon. In a recent article, Jacob Hornberger regrets the creation of the American national security state. My one criticism of his article relates to this quotation: "When the Constitution was ratified, it brought into existence a limited-government republic. That meant a government whose powers were very limited — limited, that is, to those powers enumerated in the...

The American Revolution Is Only Half-Complete

by Zack Sorenson | Jun 6, 2017 | Blog

Recently, I wrote about why I think war is not a morally legitimate practice. In my opinion, criminal and civil law take morality into account, whereas the law of armed conflict deliberately suspends normal moral considerations to facilitate combat. This is interesting when you consider traditional American political ideas. The revolutionary ideas about government which were applied after 1776 were applied domestically, but were not applied in the realm of foreign affairs. The American revolutionary ideal for government contrasted against the European status quo. According to traditional...

The Truth About The Social Contract

by Zack Sorenson | Jun 4, 2017 | Blog

Where does the state come from? Political theory says that it rises out of the general will of a population, and that its character reflects their political desires: a "social contract" that legitimizes its authority. Recently, Ted Cruz made news when he responded to a tweet made by a self-righteous "American Studies" professor from Harvard. This is what the professor said: “The USA, created by int’l community in Treaty of Paris in 1783, betrays int’l community by withdrawing from #parisclimateagreement today." After enduring Cruz's Constitutionalist tirades, the professor replied: "Sad....

Nuclear Colonialism

by Zack Sorenson | Jun 3, 2017 | Blog

This is interesting. Erik Prince, former Blackwater man - God bless 'im - suggests a literal military viceroy for Afghanistan. So much for the end of history, eh? China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the EU might be forced to keep up with the Joneses. Then again it might end up as the end of history for real.

War Is Not Moral

by Zack Sorenson | May 31, 2017 | Blog

I recently finished an article where I lay out why I think war itself should be considered immoral, and what an alternative could be. When I was in the military, I struggled knowing that my hard work was helping get people killed. Those who maybe deserved it but also those who definitely didn't. I learned a lot about war and history trying to come to terms with this, and ultimately started feeling that war was just wrong. I didn't have a clearly articulated philosophical basis for these feelings, at first, so I developed one. I discovered that concretizing my feelings led to a...

The Moral Illegitimacy of War

by Zack Sorenson | May 31, 2017 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

“Then shall the world, at long last, say its farewell to arms? That unrealized vision, I know, is as old as arms themselves. Is it necessary to add that today, too, the obstacles are mountainous; that the temptations of violence, including the longing for revenge, power, or loot – or, for that matter, visions of heaven on earth or of mere safety – still grip the imagination; that the quandaries facing the peacemakers confound the best minds; that as old forms of violence exit the historical scene new ones enter; that in many parts of the world growing scarcity and ecological ruin add new...

Power Corrupts History, While Reality Remains Obscured

by Zack Sorenson | May 31, 2017 | Blog

Know that one phrase attributed to Lord Acton? "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" Although these are not his exact words, he meant more or less what you think. However, the context for the quotation was a commentary on the history profession and the idea that history absolves the powerful because they have power. Lord Acton suggests we ought to take an opposite tack. (see this discussion) I think that one way to conceive of this phrase is to imagine power corrupting the practice of history. The powerful get more attention from historians, let alone praise. The reason...