using a historical issue to explain lockes theory

The cause of the Iraq war is still shrouded in mystery . Reports claim that this war is in large part an oil currency war . One of the core reasons for this upcoming war is this administration 's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard (Mother Jones , 2007 . Whereas , others think that this is a just war , even the president commented that "if we were not fighting and destroying this enemy in Iraq , they would not be idle . They would be

br plotting and killing Americans across the world and within our own bs . By fighting these terrorists in Iraq , Americans in uniform are defeating a direct threat to the American people (Crimes Against Humanity , 2004 . Finding out the true reason would take a lot of time effort and money and still results are not guaranteed , however , this incident gave us a good material to analyze John Locke 's state of nature and the state of war theories

According to Locke , men are all born in a state of perfect freedom to their actions , and dispose of their possessions and persons , as they think fit , within the bounds of the law of nature , without asking leave , or depending upon the will of any other man (Locke , 1690 This state according to him also affords everyman equality of power and jurisdiction , with no man of the same rank and specie exercising subjection or subordination over another . He goes on to say that in this kind of state , although everyman has the liberty dispose of his person or possessions , he has no right to destroy himself or to harm others around him . The law of nature to preserve one 's self and his community governs all men , and according to this law no one man can punish another lest the latter transgresses this law

From this springs his theory of the state of war , in his second treatise , he states that I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction : for , by the fundamental law of nature man being to be preserved as much as possible , when all cannot be preserved , the safety of the innocent is to be : and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him , or has discovered an enmity to his being , for the same reason that he may kill a wolf or a lion because such men are not under the ties of the common law of reason , have no other rule , but that of force and violence , and so may be treated as beasts of prey , those dangerous and noxious creatures , that will be sure to destroy him whenever he falls into their power (Locke , 1690

Analyzing Locke 's theory , we can see that a person may commit acts of transgression against his fellow men only as an act or reparation and restraint . An act of war can only be justified if harm has come to...