US Undermined Law
Mar 25, 2003
THE United States and Iraq, the two main protagonists in the Second Gulf War, have traded accusations of flouting international rules of war.
THE United States and Iraq, the two main protagonists in the Second Gulf War, have traded accusations of flouting international rules of war. US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld has complained that the telecasting of images of American prisoners of war by European TV stations is a violation of the Geneva Convention. Earlier, his commander-in-chief, George Bush, had demanded that Iraq treat any prisoners humanely since the US was doing the same with its captives. Iraq has countered that airing of Iraqi soldiers surrendering is a violation of international law as well. The Geneva Convention, a 100 year-old international agreement on the conduct of warfare, requires that PoWs be protected against insult and public curiosity.
Two wrongs, of course, do not make a right. Iraq should not hide behind what the US or independent media houses may be doing to break the law. But the irony will not be lost on many that the war began when the US itself flouted international law by invading Iraq without mandate from the United Nations. It is a bad precedent that many outlaws are likely to imitate. Just last year, America refused to grant Taliban captives PoW status, and also declined to ratify a treaty establishing an international justice system for war crimes. If the US is to continue playing the role of global policeman, it must respect the law. In ordinary life, it is very disconcerting to see the very custodians of the law break it with impunity. A police patrol vehicle without proper lights would have no moral authority to challenge a bus driver whose indicators are missing. It would, if anything, be encouragement for other lawbreakers. The US will have to keep its head above the waters of virtue if it is to win the moral war.
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Two wrongs, of course, do not make a right. Iraq should not hide behind what the US or independent media houses may be doing to break the law. But the irony will not be lost on many that the war began when the US itself flouted international law by invading Iraq without mandate from the United Nations. It is a bad precedent that many outlaws are likely to imitate. Just last year, America refused to grant Taliban captives PoW status, and also declined to ratify a treaty establishing an international justice system for war crimes. If the US is to continue playing the role of global policeman, it must respect the law. In ordinary life, it is very disconcerting to see the very custodians of the law break it with impunity. A police patrol vehicle without proper lights would have no moral authority to challenge a bus driver whose indicators are missing. It would, if anything, be encouragement for other lawbreakers. The US will have to keep its head above the waters of virtue if it is to win the moral war.
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