[Eran]

This discussion illustrates the essential nature of the NAP in guiding the use of force.

When forced is used while disregarding the NAP, even for benevolent purposes such as liberating a country from an evil dictator, negative consequences can quickly overwhelm any gain. Saddam might have been an evil dictator, but in the process of unseating him, many more innocent people died than would have had he been allowed to continue to rule.

IF military intervention can be successfully pursued without NAP violations, it may be legitimate. In practice, however, such occasions are fairly rare.

When we are talking of humanitarian intervention on the level of states rather than that of individuals a troublesome concept comes up "sovereignty". To my mind there is no such thing, governments are corporations essentially, just legal fictions, human beings have sovereignty, legal fictions are lesser not superior. The actual human beings that operate the legal fiction of the government should only have their sovereignty respected in so far as they respect the sovereignty of other human beings. This I call the mandate of heaven. To the extent that they have violated the sovereignty of human beings those governors lose the mandate of heaven and may be rightfully deposed by anyone that can. Naturally anyone that does depose them is no less subject to the mandate of heaven.

In theory, I agree. In practice, governments tend to enjoy widespread support. Overpowering them without causing many innocent casualties is difficult or impossible.

[SolarCross]

In theory, I agree. In practice, governments tend to enjoy widespread support. Overpowering them without causing many innocent casualties is difficult or impossible.

In this thread I am advocating only a principle. For a praxis (and one closely associated with LM) there is the Libertarian Monarchist Praxis therein you will see that a methodology needn't and shouldn't rest solely on force. In my praxis, the battle will be substantially won before a single shot is fired.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. - Sun Tzu

[Nunt]

There is no reason why the NAP should be limited to nationstate borders.
It is just to come to the defence of those whose rights are violated as long as you don't violate the rights of innocents while doing so.