So the moral case for the invasion of the South was pretty much non-existent, and the Civil War was a moral atrocity given the brutal actions taken by the North against the civilian population of the South.
I don’t see how the southern states could justify their existence (qua states) on moral grounds. But, there’s already a nice long thread on the civil war.
This is a moral reason to avoid war wherever possible without jeopardizing our own sovereignty.
Well, yes, but I think the more important reason is that war is expensive; it takes time and effort away from being productive. So while the United States would probably be justified in attacking Cuba (despite the possibility of collateral damage), in order to free the Cubans - why bother?
Is it better to try to kill evil men who don’t seem capable of directly hurting us anyway, or to try to cure cancer or even just build a better computer?