{"id":1663576,"date":"2026-03-06T12:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/online\/2026\/03\/05\/\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T12:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:30:24","slug":"the-lie-of-preventive-war","status":"publish","type":"daily","link":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/online\/2026\/03\/06\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lie of \u2018Preventive\u2019 War"},"content":{"rendered":"In January, during a lengthy New York Times interview with President Donald Trump, one of the paper?<div class=\"leaky_paywall_message_wrap\"><div id=\"leaky_paywall_message\">\t<div class=\"paywall\" id=\"paywall-a\">\n\t\t<div class=\"fadeout\"><\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"paywall-content text-center pb-xs-14\">\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Sub_PrintDigital_11062022-72ppi.jpg?w=200\"\n\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Sub_PrintDigital_11062022-72ppi.jpg?w=200 200w, https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Sub_PrintDigital_11062022-72ppi.jpg?w=400 400w\"\n\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 200px, 400px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"New York Review in various formats\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"paywall-img mb-xs-3\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-20 text-lg-30 mb-xs-1 color-ny-red font-giza\">Continue reading <br\/>for just $1.00 per issue!<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-16 mb-xs-2\">Choose a Digital subscription or our best deal \u2013 All Access \u2013 that includes print and digital issues, full archive access, and the NYR App!<\/p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.nybooks.com\/ecom\/nyb\/app\/live\/subscriptions?org=NYB&publ=NY&key_code=EPMXM01&type=S\" class=\"button font-giza bg-ny-red color-white hover-text-white hover-expand sign-in-subscribe text-xs-16 mb-xs-3 paywall-offer\"><span>View Offers<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"mt-xs-0 mb-xs-3\"\/>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-16 mb-xs-2\">Or\u00a0register\u00a0for a free account to read just this article. <a href=\"\/account\/register\/?level_id=0\" id=\"register\">Register<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-label color-gray mb-0\">Already a subscriber? <a href=\"\/account\/signin\/\" class=\"paywall-signin color-gray\">Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"paywall\" id=\"paywall-b\">\n\t\t<div class=\"fadeout\"><\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"paywall-content text-center pb-xs-14\">\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PrintandDigital-2x_FreeNotebk_02112021-B.jpg?w=200\"\n\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PrintandDigital-2x_FreeNotebk_02112021-B.jpg?w=200 200w, https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PrintandDigital-2x_FreeNotebk_02112021-B.jpg?w=400 400w\"\n\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 200px, 400px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"paywall-img mb-xs-3\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-20 text-lg-30 mb-xs-1 color-ny-red font-giza\">Continue reading for just $1 an issue and get a FREE notebook! Continue reading<br\/> for just $1 an issue.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-16 mb-xs-2\">Choose a Digital subscription or our best deal\u2014All Access\u2014and we will send you a free pocket notebook! Choose a Digital subscription or our best deal\u2014All Access\u2014that includes print and digital issues, full archive access, and the NYR App!<\/p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.nybooks.com\/ecom\/nyb\/app\/live\/subscriptions?org=NYB&publ=NY&key_code=EPKXM01&type=S\" class=\"button font-giza bg-ny-red color-white hover-text-white hover-expand sign-in-subscribe text-xs-16 mb-xs-3 paywall-offer\"><span>View Offers<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"mt-xs-0 mb-xs-3\"\/>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-xs-16 mb-xs-2\">Or\u00a0register\u00a0for a free account to read just this article. <a href=\"\/account\/register\/?level_id=0\" id=\"register\">Register<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"text-label color-gray mb-0\">Already a subscriber? <a href=\"\/account\/signin\/\" class=\"paywall-signin color-gray\">Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<script>\n\t\/\/ Set link current page variables\n\tvar $ = jQuery;\n\tvar paywall_type = 'register';\n\t$('.paywall-offer').each(function(index) {\n\t\tvar offerLink = $(this).attr('href') + '&current_page=' + window.location.href;\n\t\t$(this).attr('href', offerLink)\n\t})\n\t$('.paywall-offer').on('click', function() {\n\t\tdataLayer.push({'event': 'Paywall Click', 'paywall_type': paywall_type });\n\t})\n\tvar signinLink = $('.paywall-signin').attr('href') + '?current_page=' + window.location.href;\n\t$('.paywall-signin').attr('href', signinLink);\n\n\t\/\/ Push paywall custom event for gtag if it becomes visible\n\t(function() {\n\t\tif (!document.getElementsByClassName('article-main-content').length) {\n\t\t\treturn;\n\t\t}\n\n\t\t\/\/ https:\/\/www.simoahava.com\/analytics\/google-tag-manager-dom-listener\/\n\t\tvar targetNode = document.getElementsByClassName('article-main-content')[0];\n\t\tvar config = { attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['style'] };\n\t\tvar callback = function(mutationsList, observer) {\n\t\t\tfor(var index = 0; index < mutationsList.length; index++) {\n\t\t\t\tvar mutation = mutationsList[index];\n\t\t\t\tif (mutation.type === 'attributes') {\n\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log('The ' + mutation.attributeName + ' attribute was modified.');\n\t\t\t\t\tif (document.querySelector('.paywall')) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push({'event': 'Paywall Visible', 'paywall_type': paywall_type });\n\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect();\n\t\t\t\t\t\treturn true;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t};\n\n\t\tvar observer = new MutationObserver(callback);\n\t\tobserver.observe(targetNode, config);\n\t})()\n<\/script>\n\n<div id=\"paywall-ad\" class=\"inline-banner-ad d-flex flex-column\">\n\t<p class=\"text-label-sm mb-xs-2 mt-xs-2 color-gray text-center\">Advertisement<\/p>\n\t<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1600792242058-0\" style=\"margin: 0 auto;\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In January, during a lengthy New York Times interview with President Donald Trump, one of the paper? Continue reading for just $1.00 per issue! Choose a Digital subscription or our best deal \u2013 All Access \u2013 that includes print and digital issues, full archive access, and the NYR App! View Offers Or\u00a0register\u00a0for a free account [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51236,"featured_media":1663660,"template":"","categories":[18753,18752,18750,18751],"tags":[16907,9488,10012,9604,17466,9693,17373,9766],"daily-type":[20611,9466],"coauthors":[7991],"class_list":["post-1663576","daily","type-daily","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","category-international-politics","category-politics","category-united-states-politics","tag-donald-trump","tag-human-rights","tag-international-law","tag-iran","tag-iraq-war","tag-israel","tag-us-constitution","tag-war","daily-type-essays","daily-type-nyr-daily","author-roles-by","author-cap-david-cole"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/nybooks.com\/online\/2026\/03\/06\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Lie of \u2018Preventive\u2019 War","url":"http:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/online\/2026\/03\/06\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/online\/2026\/03\/06\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Cole202603_2.jpeg?w=125","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Cole202603_2.jpeg"},"articleSection":"Human Rights","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Cole"}],"creator":["David Cole"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The New York Review of Books","logo":""},"keywords":["donald trump","human rights","international law","iran","iraq war","israel","us constitution","war"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-06T17:30:23Z","datePublished":"2026-03-06T17:30:23Z","dateModified":"2026-03-06T17:30:24Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"The Lie of \\u2018Preventive\\u2019 War\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.nybooks.com\\\/online\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.nybooks.com\\\/online\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/the-lie-of-preventive-war\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nybooks.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Cole202603_2.jpeg?w=125\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nybooks.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Cole202603_2.jpeg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Human Rights\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"David Cole\"}],\"creator\":[\"David Cole\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"The New York Review of Books\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"donald trump\",\"human rights\",\"international law\",\"iran\",\"iraq war\",\"israel\",\"us constitution\",\"war\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-03-06T17:30:23Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-06T17:30:23Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-06T17:30:24Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nybooks.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/daily\/1663576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/daily"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/daily"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51236"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/daily\/1663576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1663662,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/daily\/1663576\/revisions\/1663662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1663660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1663576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1663576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1663576"},{"taxonomy":"daily-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/daily-type?post=1663576"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1663576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}