Western civilization includes Just War Theory and the Laws of Armed Combat. Those aren`t PC niceties, they`re the legacy of centuries of philosophy, religion, tradition, and the accumulated lessons of bloody experience. Hegseth doesn`t champion Western civilization, he rejects the civilized part.

Greg Sargent(gregsargent.bsky.social): Hegseth imagines himself defending “Western civilization.“ But the West has also made important contributions to the idea that there are moral limits on what we can do in war, from Cicero through Augustine, Grotius, Kant and more. He discards this inheritance. 6/ newrepublic.com/article/2083...

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