By David Marshall
The Philadelphia Tribune
https://www.phillytrib.com/
In the weeks after the U.S. and Israeli strikes began in Iran, the Trump administration continues to give Americans reasons to be alarmed about the leadership and direction of our nation. I was unfamiliar with the military’s use of the term “no quarter” until Defense Secretary Hegseth recently used it during a Pentagon press briefing about the ongoing war. Hegseth vowed, “We will keep pressing. We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” The term “no quarter” means showing absolutely no mercy, pity, or leniency toward an enemy. It implies killing combatants even if they surrender rather than taking them as prisoners. It is a phrase rooted in military history.
Most frameworks of international humanitarian law, the Hague and Geneva Conventions, forbid this tactic. In international law, declaring or ordering “no quarter” is recognized as a war crime. The “no quarter” vow may have been just tough talk for the moment, but the mention of it in that context remains a sign of a nation once described as being a shining city on a hill becoming ruthless on the world stage. American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is inherently unique, distant, or superior to other nations due to its specific history, democratic ideals, and political institutions. It suggests that America’s superiority is not out of arrogance, but rather being the moral and ethical leader for others to follow. The idea of American exceptionalism, since the rise of the MAGA movement, is open to wide interpretation.
David Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”
