preview

Why Should The United States Be Considered An Armed Attack

Satisfactory Essays

James,
You did an excellent job answering this week’s discussion board question. I agree with you conclusion that cyber-attacks which are performed by nation states can be considered armed attack; however, I believe this for a different reason. When answering this question we must understand when an attack can be categorized as an armed attack. This leads to the United Nation charters which dictate when nations are allowed to go to war and retaliate in response to armed attacks. According to the United Nations Charter 51, 39, and article 2(4) it appears that any attack can be defined as an armed attack if the attack can result in or is capable of resulting in the destruction of property or loss of life. It is also stated in the aforementioned United Nations documents that if an attack which meets this definition threshold does occur, nothing restricts the right of the nation being attacked from resorting to self-defense measures including launching a similar attack against the offending nation. Using the definition of an armed attack as defined by the United Nations it is easy to see how cyber-attacks performed by nation states can be considered to be an armed attack. However, it is important to note that not all cyber-attacks by nation states can be considered an armed …show more content…

For a nation state cyber-attack to be considered an armed attack it must meet the level of force in the most severe measure and must result in or be capable of resulting in the destruction of property or loss of life and in meeting this the nation on the receiving end of this armed attack has the right to self-defense

Get Access