Issue 354 War Theft 1 June 10, 2014

War theft is the act of stealing during a time of war.  We know this to be a wrongful act, but some consider it justice for the trouble of being forced to fight in the first place.  Let's discuss.

Against:  Those who see theft of a person’s property during war see it from the traditional standpoint of stealing.  There is no justification for stooping down to the level of a criminal.  Usually though, this form of theft is committed by soldiers in the field who see no reason to let go of a battle souvenir.  Others see it as a way to get rich off of rare and valuable items.  But again that is still thievery and has no justification and is highly dishonorable.  In the same fashion as the Nazi's, a soldier stealing from civilians in war time is just as wrong as what the Nazi's did in stealing from the Jews.

For:  In this case there are those who do favor it as a means to pay for the war.  In this case, soldiers who are paid low wages to fight are allowed to take items they deem valuable to make up for the costs to them and their families.  In short, they may even act like treasure hunters or even pirates, taking the valuables of people whose homes have been abandoned due to the fighting.  This may even include valuable works in history like art pieces and rare historical specimens, which the soldiers can either keep or sell to give themselves a monetary boost.  Let's face it, soldiers are paid meager wages and deserve better to make up the money they should be making.

Pragmatic:  Instead of just letting soldiers just take goods home with them, there can be battlefield salvage rules.  If there are items that are left abandoned in a home after a battle, soldiers can lay claim.  However, they will only be allowed to keep them if no one comes to claim the items after one year.  In this instance, a special note will be left behind for the original occupants to aid them in finding their lost wears.  In the meantime, items claimed by soldiers will be held at a holding facility in country until the time limit comes up or the items are claimed.  This also protects items from being stolen by other individuals or soldiers we are fighting to fund their own war efforts.

Conclusion:  The only two that come remotely close to being moral are those "against" and the "pragmatic" views.  War theft that is unregulated can lead to many problems, not least including law suits.  However, I am personally against this form of war theft, as it is immoral to me on the societal and religious level.  Taking what is not yours is a crime and thus I am against it.