Debate views: 6,166
Debate Summary
Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would kill the families of terrorists in order to win the fight against ISIS.
"The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives, don't kid yourself. When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families," Trump said.
Trump said he would "knock the hell out of" ISIS, and criticized the U.S. for "fighting a very politically correct war."
Is it morally right and correct to take out ISIS's family, even if innocent?
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Sources
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politics/donald-trump-terrorists-families/
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/12/15/3732671/trump-isis-kill-family-members/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/dec/17/rand-paul/rand-pauls-right-geneva-conventions-bar-donald-tru/
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/trump_on_killing_families_of_isis_members_we_need_toughness.html
http://time.com/4132368/donald-trump-isis-bombing/
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/12/15/3732671/trump-isis-kill-family-members/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/dec/17/rand-paul/rand-pauls-right-geneva-conventions-bar-donald-tru/
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/trump_on_killing_families_of_isis_members_we_need_toughness.html
http://time.com/4132368/donald-trump-isis-bombing/
Top Debate Answers
1.
CABBAGE (Con) - Donald Trump's suggestion that we punish the families of extremists is both morally and practically abhorrent.
Ethically, it is commonly agreed that individuals should be punished for their own crimes. No court in the civilized world, given a guilt...
answered by Iestwyn 9 years ago (Go to debate answer)
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Donald Trump's suggestion that we punish the families of extremists is both morally and practically abhorrent.
Ethically, it is commonly agreed that individuals should be punished for their own crimes. No court in the civilized world, given a guilty defendant, will punish a third party. The only nations that engage in these tactics act from ideologies radically different from ours, such as the North Korean regime imprisoning the families of defectors. If we claim we value due process and equality, we cannot punish the innocent for the crimes of the guilty.
Practically, this tactic could prove disastrous. Extremist ideologies are fueled by what they view as oppression. ISIS in particular indoctrinates its followers with the idea that the West will soon become even more warlike towards the Islamic world. Actions that align with that belief will not only cause existing terrorists to solidify their commitment to their cause, but will suggest to potential recruits that ISIS was right all along, swelling their ranks.
In summary, punishing the families of terrorists will undermine both our strategic position and the values we claim to uphold. For the sake of our well-being, this strategy must be abandoned.
Ethically, it is commonly agreed that individuals should be punished for their own crimes. No court in the civilized world, given a guilty defendant, will punish a third party. The only nations that engage in these tactics act from ideologies radically different from ours, such as the North Korean regime imprisoning the families of defectors. If we claim we value due process and equality, we cannot punish the innocent for the crimes of the guilty.
Practically, this tactic could prove disastrous. Extremist ideologies are fueled by what they view as oppression. ISIS in particular indoctrinates its followers with the idea that the West will soon become even more warlike towards the Islamic world. Actions that align with that belief will not only cause existing terrorists to solidify their commitment to their cause, but will suggest to potential recruits that ISIS was right all along, swelling their ranks.
In summary, punishing the families of terrorists will undermine both our strategic position and the values we claim to uphold. For the sake of our well-being, this strategy must be abandoned.