International law is not a suicide pact. In unambiguous jurisprudential terms, the U.N. and the United States were sorely mistaken back in 1981. Israel did not act illegally at Osiraq, or later (when there was no official U.N. reaction) at Syria's Deir ez-Zor. Instead, under the long-standing customary right known as anticipatory self-defense, every state is entitled to strike first whenever the danger posed is "instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means and no moment for deliberation." If anything, this standard, which dates back to 1837 (in a naval incident known formally as "The Caroline"), is more compelling in the nuclear age than ever before.