Civic Disengagement Undermines Just‑War Scrutiny

Invoking Cicero, the piece argues that declining civic engagement and classical rhetorical literacy leave citizens unable or unwilling to subject executive uses of force to robust moral scrutiny. That gap lets leaders justify or normalize military actions that would have failed traditional just‑war tests when public debate was stronger. — If true, weakened civic scrutiny changes the political balance around war decisions and amplifies the chance of illegitimate or poorly justified military interventions.