Ukraine War Upd. EXTRA: Assassination. And Rescuing Bears.
"If you want this to be precise and you don't want children and other people to be killed who are not targetable, then ultimately you do want precise military assassinations."
14/09/2023
Hello Team!
Jonathan opens the video discussing the confusion and conflicting reports around the liberation status of the towns of Andreevka and Klitschivka in Ukraine. He notes how this illustrates the difficulty in determining what is happening on the front lines in real-time.
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Assassination as a tool in warfare
The main focus of the video is a discussion on assassination, prompted by an article in The Economist about Ukraine's assassination program. Key points:
- Assassination can be seen as an efficient way to conduct warfare by eliminating key decision-makers rather than sacrificing soldiers on the battlefield
- It minimizes collateral damage compared to other military actions like missile strikes
- To be morally justified, the targets must be legitimate and the assassinations must be carried out with precision to avoid civilian casualties
- There is debate over what constitutes a legitimate military target, especially when it comes to political figures or those indirectly supporting the war effort
- Ultimately, if warfare itself is considered acceptable, then assassination is arguably a more precise and less destructive tool when used appropriately
Jonathan and guest Dom Nichols have a nuanced discussion about the moral philosophy around assassination, just war theory, and the practical considerations for its use in Ukraine.
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Rescue of a Ukrainian zoo bear
The video ends on a more positive note, with the story of a bear named Yampol who survived the Russian occupation of a zoo in eastern Ukraine. Yampol is believed to be the only surviving animal, with reports the Russian soldiers may have killed and eaten the others. He has now been adopted by a Scottish zoo, where they hope to help him recover from the trauma and live a happy, healthy life.
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Wrap up
Jonathan thanks his supporters, especially one named Donald Herjic, and invites discussion on the difficult topic of assassination in the comments. He signs off with his customary "take care, speak soon, toodlepips."
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