The weaknesses in the international legal system are blatantly apparent when one considers the Middle East. From Afghanistan through Palestine, there is virtually no enforcement of International Law.
Palestinian suicide bombers plague Israel and Israeli vigilantes and military terrorise Palestine. The government of Iraq was overthrown and the country is now occupied. Afghanistan has known only war for decades, first as the battlefield of the “Cold War”, then because it was home to Al Qaida training and now because the Taliban refuse to accept the government being imposed.
Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime was overthrown – not by a popular uprising – but by the might of the Anglo-American Alliance, ostensibly because they claimed that Iraq was developing “weapons of mass destruction”. To date, no evidence of this claim has been produced.
After 13 years of U.N. sanctions and U.S./U.K. bombings, plus the assurance of U.N. inspectors that Iraq had no “weapons of mass destruction”, it was clear that Iraq could not stand up against the might of the Anglo-American Alliance. Saddam Hussein was overthrown and Iraq teeters on the edge of total chaos. – much like Afganistan.
The “government” in Kabul has little control over the countryside, similar to the previous government of Afghanistan, the Taliban. Nevertheless, the Taliban were held responsible for the presence of Al-Qaida training camps and Afghanistan was subjugated to the U.S. military, in reprisal for the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, alleged enemy combatants are being held indefinitely by the United States, without benefit of legal counsel
Although the victims in the World Trade Center included individuals from approximately 80 nations, the attack is considered a purely American tragedy and no international investigation has occurred. There is also little likelihood of such an investigation, since all the forensic evidence has been destroyed – at the will of the Bush Administration.
Now, the latest attempt to create chaos in the Middle East was announced last week. Israel now intends to oust the democratically elected President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.
Getting rid of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein worked for the United States, so Israel plans to follow suit.
It’s all against International Law. So what! The “international community” couldn’t care less.
Paul V. Rafferty
Palestinian suicide bombers plague Israel and Israeli vigilantes and military terrorise Palestine. The government of Iraq was overthrown and the country is now occupied. Afghanistan has known only war for decades, first as the battlefield of the “Cold War”, then because it was home to Al Qaida training and now because the Taliban refuse to accept the government being imposed.
Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime was overthrown – not by a popular uprising – but by the might of the Anglo-American Alliance, ostensibly because they claimed that Iraq was developing “weapons of mass destruction”. To date, no evidence of this claim has been produced.
After 13 years of U.N. sanctions and U.S./U.K. bombings, plus the assurance of U.N. inspectors that Iraq had no “weapons of mass destruction”, it was clear that Iraq could not stand up against the might of the Anglo-American Alliance. Saddam Hussein was overthrown and Iraq teeters on the edge of total chaos. – much like Afganistan.
The “government” in Kabul has little control over the countryside, similar to the previous government of Afghanistan, the Taliban. Nevertheless, the Taliban were held responsible for the presence of Al-Qaida training camps and Afghanistan was subjugated to the U.S. military, in reprisal for the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, alleged enemy combatants are being held indefinitely by the United States, without benefit of legal counsel
Although the victims in the World Trade Center included individuals from approximately 80 nations, the attack is considered a purely American tragedy and no international investigation has occurred. There is also little likelihood of such an investigation, since all the forensic evidence has been destroyed – at the will of the Bush Administration.
Now, the latest attempt to create chaos in the Middle East was announced last week. Israel now intends to oust the democratically elected President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.
Getting rid of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein worked for the United States, so Israel plans to follow suit.
It’s all against International Law. So what! The “international community” couldn’t care less.
Paul V. Rafferty