International law is not a suicide pact. Fashioned to ensure the survival of states in a still-anarchic world, this binding system of rules includes the “inherent” right to national self-defense. Such right may be exercised not only after an attack has occurred but also, sometimes, in advance. This sensitive legal issue is now especially critical in the refractory case of Iranian nuclear weapons development. Could preemption in this case be permissible under international law?

Louis Beres, Leon Edney and Thomas McInerney, (Haaretz)

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