US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flagrantly violated international law by starting a war in Iran. But while historical examples of legitimacy trumping legality are few and far between, they do exist.
MELBOURNE – In international relations, manifestly illegal government action can sometimes be morally defensible. While historical examples of legitimacy trumping legality are few and far between, they do exist. The question of whether the joint US-Israeli war on Iran is one such case demands more attention than it has received so far.