The recent incident off the coast of Venezuela, a U.S. strike on a suspected smuggling vessel followed by a second strike that reportedly killed survivors clinging to debris, demands more than political debate. It demands moral reflection. Something happened in those waters that forces us to confront what we believe America is, and what we insist America must remain.
Witnesses and analysts have questioned whether the second strike, aimed at individuals already incapacitated and shipwrecked, violated the most basic principles of the laws of war, which require humane treatment of those who are out of the fight. Legal scholars have stated the obvious: Even in war, firing on the defenseless is unlawful. Even more importantly, it is immoral.
Moments like these test the national conscience. They compel us to reflect on the ideals we embody. The French observer Alexis de Tocqueville, trying to understand the peculiar power and promise of this country, is often quoted as having said, “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
America’s greatness has never rested solely on its military reach, economic might or political influence. It has rested on a belief that law and morality restrain power, that dignity belongs even to the least of these, that a nation strong enough to kill should also be strong enough to show mercy.
If reports of a second strike on unarmed survivors are accurate, then something is slipping, not only in our conduct but in our character.
If the reports are true, that demands moral reflection. If something happened in those waters, then that forces us to confront what we believe America is, and what we insist America must remain.
At times of national crisis, we should recall another voice central to our history, Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln shocked the nation by refusing triumphalism. Instead, he interpreted the Civil War as divine judgment upon both North and South for the national sin of slavery. He declared:
“If God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
Lincoln’s message was unmistakable. A nation that commits injustice invites consequences. A nation that accumulates power without attending to moral responsibility risks calamity. He reminded Americans that they had been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven, yet had grown proud, forgetful and had forgotten God.
The relevance today is uncomfortable but necessary. When a nation permits or excuses the killing of people rendered defenseless, it erodes its moral foundation.
America can withstand many things. What it cannot endure is the abandonment of the ideals that once set it apart. To remain a great nation, we must demand accountability and uphold the rule of law.
