# Would you ever kill your leader? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 15, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224 "2006-12-15T02:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224/1 "2006-12-15T02:09:11Z")
Supposing the leader of your country did something bad. You happen to hold that person’s life in your hands. How badly would the leader have to act before you would consider intentionally ending that person’s life? Assume no negative consequences for you, other than you knowing you intentionally ended a life. (For example, you are a surgeon operating on the leader and can intentionally do a substandard job, but the death looks completely accidental) If it helps, you can imagine a ruthless murdering despot or someone quite insane is the leader in question. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224/2 "2006-12-15T02:36:13Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Supposing the leader of your country did something bad. You happen to hold that person’s life in your hands. How badly would the leader have to act before you would consider intentionally ending that person’s life? [/QUOTE] Knowingly and unnecessarily killing innocent people would be more than enough for me. I’d be much more likely to kill a leader ( _any_ leader, not just mine ) than some random person, simply because I can’t rely on the law punishing or even restraining him. Also, a leader is much more likely to do death-worthy things that I can be _sure_ can be laid at his door. Before I killed someone, I’d want hard evidence that he did the deed I’m killing him for. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224/3 "2006-12-15T07:51:51Z")
If I was a surgeon I could never do an intentionally substandard job. You have a professional responsibility that in my opinion you cannot mess with. That means you give the same level of treatment to a serial killer/serial rapist who is on your operating table as you do someone who runs a charitable organization that feeds starving kids in Africa. I think the example in the OP is materially different enough from the general premise to point out my feelings in that regard. The medical profession has to hold itself to this standard. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224/4 "2006-12-15T09:10:15Z")
So long as he held office legitimately, no. I’m a strong believer in the rule of law, and believe there is virtually no potential crisis (barring, say, the leader intentionally starting a nuclear war) that justifies bringing down democracy, because once you break _that_, you can’t put it back together again. Not without the deaths of thousands and tens of thousands. However, if my leader cancelled elections I’d kill him in a second. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-kill-your-leader/384224/5 "2006-12-15T09:24:32Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Supposing the leader of your country did something bad. You happen to hold that person’s life in your hands. How badly would the leader have to act before you would consider intentionally ending that person’s life? Assume no negative consequences for you, other than you knowing you intentionally ended a life. (For example, you are a surgeon operating on the leader and can intentionally do a substandard job, but the death looks completely accidental) If it helps, you can imagine a ruthless murdering despot or someone quite insane is the leader in question. [/QUOTE] This link explains a lower level variation of what you are asking about: > **[Fragging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frag_(military))** > > Fragging is the deliberate killing or attempted killing of a soldier, usually a superior, by a fellow soldier. U.S. military personnel coined the word during the Vietnam War, when such killings were most often committed or attempted with a fragmentation grenade, to make it appear that the killing was accidental or during combat with the enemy. The term fragging now encompasses any deliberate killing of military colleagues. The high number of fragging incidents in the latter years of the Vietnam ... > [@](#): > > Fragging most often involved the killing of a commanding officer or a senior noncommissioned officer perceived as unpopular, harsh, or inept. If a C.O. was incompetent, fragging the officer was considered a means to the end of self preservation for the men serving under him. Fragging might also occur if a commander freely took on dangerous or suicidal missions, especially if he was deemed to be seeking glory for himself. It also happened in the First World War (no cites) and my uncle told me of one spectacular example in Burma - it involded a jeep with a folde down windscreen and a rope across the road. I had the impression that he knew of more examples. In your case I would make an unlikely surgeon, but if I considered someone dangerous and I had the opportunity, then I would consider myself ethically obliged to intercede to prevent him killing other people.