Session 3

Power, in the most simplistic manner, is the ability of A to convince or coerce B into doing something B would not otherwise do. However, the legitimacy of power needs to be scrutinized greatly against moral and ethical frameworks in order to prevent the tyranny Montesqeue so vehemently maligned. The cruelty of the Nazis during World War II is well documented, and the genocide they committed is beyond deplorable. What's worth noting though, is the slightly less dominant narrative. The American army's firebombing campaign and the subsequent nuclear bombing of Japan was an overstated show of force. Millions of non-combatants became part of the collateral damage as American bombers dropped napalm (later declared a chemical weapon) in densley populated urban centers. At the end of the war, the Germans were punished after the Nuremberg trials for the holocaust while the Americans went scot free. They are hailed as war heroes and veterans in the popular narrative even as deformed children are born in Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of the radiations still prevalent in the area after the unnecessary nuking of the areas. America's claim to the moral high ground post-WWII is questionable at best, but the ability of the Allies to force their will upon their adversaries and punishing them for a crime they themselves are guilty of teaches us an important lesson; if not kept under constant check, power legitimizes itself.