Yurovsky, the executioner of the Russian Imperial Family, left a detailed account of the events that transcurred on the night of July 16th, 1918, when the Romanov family was assassinated. In it, he describes the scene with the tsar Nicholas II in the following way:
"...so far as I can remember, I said to Nicholas approximately this: His royal and close relatives inside the country and abroad were trying to save him, but the Soviet of Workers' Deputies resolved to shoot them. He asked "What?" and turned toward Alexei. At that moment I shot him and killed him outright. He did not get time to face us to get an answer."
Answer:
Many people move toward conservatism toward the end of the cold war because they felt liberal leaders weren't aggressive enough in their foreign policies toward communism.
The newly formed U.S. wanted to make the declaration the opposite of what Great Britain did. The revolutionary war took place BECAUSE of that. So they fought for lower taxes, so they get lower taxes.
Israel
The United States has supported Israel in past wars, such as the 1973 war with a coalition of Arab States. It cost the USA something to give that support, as the Arab oil-producing states placed an oil embargo on the United States. The US values Israel as an ally in the Middle East, but also seeks to caution Israel against provoking war with a major state like Iran, against whom the US really does not want to get dragged into war.
South Korea
The United States has a large military presence in South Korea, seeking to assure its security vs. the communist regime in North Korea. If indeed North Korea were to attack the South, the US would support its democratic ally. But lately there have been overtures between North and South Korea, seeking to work out a more peaceful relationship, and the US is participating in that process.
The United Kingdom
The United States and the United Kingdom (the British) have been allies for a long time and enjoy a "special relationship," as Winston Churchill termed it. As allies they have helped one another in the war on terror in the Middle East. They also routinely share intelligence that each nation gathers, in the interests of their mutual security. Sharing of intelligence reports is something allies will do in peacetime as well as during active war.
The question asks, "What is YOUR philosophy?" I can't really tell you what YOU should think ... but I can present for you the ideas of a couple different political philosophers who took opposing stands on the issue.
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were both English philosophers who wrote during the 17th century.
Hobbes published a famous work called <em>Leviathan </em>in 1651. The title "Leviathan" comes from a biblical word for a great and mighty beast. Hobbes believed government is formed by people for the sake of their personal security and stability in society. In Hobbes view, once the people put a king (or other leader in power), then that leader needs to have supreme power (like a great and mighty beast). The people are too divided and too volatile as individuals -- everyone looking out for his own interests. So for security and stability, authority and the power of the law needs to be in the hands of a powerful ruler like a king or queen. That was Hobbes' view.
John Locke famously published <em>Two Treatises on Civil Government </em>in 1690. According to Locke's view, a government's power to govern comes from the consent of the people themselves -- those who are to be governed. This was a change from the previous ideas of "divine right monarchy" -- that a king ruled because God appointed him to be the ruler. Locke repudiated the views of divine right monarchy in his <em>First Treatise on Civil Government. </em> In his <em>Second Treatise on Civil Government, </em> Locke argued for the rights of the people to create their own governments according to their own desires and for the sake of protecting their own life, liberty, and property. Locke always favored the people remaining in charge, and asserted that the people have the power to change their government and remove government leaders if the government is not properly serving the needs and well-being of the people.
As you write your own answer to this question for your class, you will want to decide, perhaps, if you agree more with Hobbes, that security and stability are most important ... or with Locke, that the authority and liberty of the people are always paramount.
