War Against the Cartels is Justified

Philosopher Ed Feser argues that if President Trump decides to take military action against the Mexican drug cartels, he is justified in doing so according to traditional Just War principles.

President Trump has ordered that Mexican drug cartels be designated “foreign terrorist organizations.”

As the order notes:

The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs.

The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States. In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society. The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere. Their activities, proximity to, and incursions into the physical territory of the United States pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States.

One implication of the president’s move is that it could pave the way to possible U.S. military action against the cartels, such as missile strikes or the sending into Mexico of American special forces.

It may be that the president does not plan actually to carry out such action, but rather intends for the executive order merely to pressure the Mexican government into taking more vigorous action itself. Still, Trump has indicated that military action is possible. Could such action be justified in light of the principles of traditional just war theory? Yes, I think U.S. military action against the cartels clearly could be justified — depending on the details.