War Crimes and War Criminals: Who Will Be Held Accountable? by Philip Giraldi!
(2020-07-23 at 16:49:42 )

War Crimes and War Criminals: Who Will Be Held Accountable? by Philip Giraldi!

There is something unique about how the United States manipulates the "terrorism" label to avoid being accused of carrying out war crimes. When an indigenous militia or an armed insurgency like the Taliban in a country like Iraq or Afghanistan attacks American soldiers subsequent to a United States invasion which overthrew the countrys government, it is considered by Washington,D.C. to be an act of "terrorism." Terror attacks de facto permit a carte blanche response, allowing virtually anything as retaliation against the parties involved or countries that support them, including the assassination of foreign government officials. But for the attacker, whose perspective is quite different, the incident often could reasonably be described as legitimate resistance to a foreign occupier and much of the world might agree with that assessment.

So, it all comes down to definitions. The United States covers its version of reality through liberal use of the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) which more-or-less gives a blanket approval to attack and kill "terrorists" anywhere at any time. And how does one become a terrorist? By being included on the United States governments heavily politicized annual list of terrorist groups and material supporters of terrorism.

That was the argument that was used by the United States when it killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January, that his organization, the Qods Force, was on the "terrorist" lists maintained by State and the Treasury Department and he was therefore held to be guilty of any and all attacks on United States military carried out by Qods or by presumed Iranian surrogate militias.

The case made to justify killing General Soleimani was considered deeply flawed at the time it took place. Because the United States says something is legal due to a law the United States Congress has passed does not make it so, just as most of the world would consider the United States profile killings by drone in Afghanistan and elsewhere, based on nothing more than the assumption that someone on the ground might be a "terrorist," to be little more than war crimes.

It has recently been revealed that the Donald Trump Administration has issued a so-called "finding" to authorize the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct more aggressive cyberattacks against infrastructure and other targets in countries that are considered to be unfriendly. The finding specifically named Iran, North Korea, China and Russia as approved targets and it is of particular interest because it basically left it up to the Agency to decide whom to attack and to what degree. As Washington,D.C. is not at war with any of the countries named and is essentially seeking to damage their economies directly, the activity undertaken by Central Intelligence Agency has constituted acts of war and, by widely accepted legal definition, attacks on countries that are not actually threatening are war crimes.

To counter the negative publicity about Donald Trump Administration actions and to establish a possible casus belli, Washington,D.C. has been floating numerous stories alleging Iranian, Russian and Chinese "aggression."

The ridiculous story about Russia paying Afghans bounties to kill American soldiers was quickly debunked, so the White House and the captive media are now alleging that Moscow hacker-spies are seeking to steal proprietary information dealing with the development of a coronavirus vaccine. The agitprop coming out of Washington,D.C. to blame Russia for nearly everything notwithstanding, opinion polls suggest that most of the world considers Washington,SD.C. to be the primary source of global instability, rejecting the assertion by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the United States is a "force for good."

So, it is reasonable to suggest that the United States has been guilty of many war crimes in the past twenty years and has only been shielded from the consequences due to its ability to control the message combined with its power in international fora and its unwillingness to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

But the willingness of the international community to look the other way in support of the war crimes double standard appears to be changing. The ICC, which has had its investigators denied entry to the United States, has been investigating Israeli war crimes even as it also looks at developments in Afghanistan and Iraq involving United States forces.

Donald Trumps ban on entry by ICC personnel includes their families even if they are American citizens and it also protects Israel in that ICC investigators looking into the possible war crimes committed by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers and officers as well as the relevant Jewish states government officials will also be sanctioned and denied entry into the United States In practical terms, the Donald Trump Administration is declaring that IDF and United States soldiers will be regarded as one and the same as they relate to dealings with the ICC, a conceit that is little known to the United States of American public.

The Israelis have responded to the threat from the ICC by compiling a secret list of government officials and military officers who might be subject to ICC issued arrest warrants if they travel in Europe for war crimes committed in Lebanon and Syria as well as of crimes against humanity directed against Palestinians. The list reportedly includes between 200 and 300 names.

That Israel is making a list of people who might be vulnerable to accusations of having possibly committed war crimes is a de facto admission by the government that such crimes were in fact committed.

The ICC will soon decide whether to move on the December request by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate both Israel and Hamas over suspicions of war crimes in Gaza and Jerusalem as well as on the occupied West Bank beginning in 2014. The investigation would include "crimes allegedly committed in relation to the use by members of the IDF of non-lethal and lethal means against persons participating in demonstrations beginning in March 2018 near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, which reportedly resulted in the killing of over 200 individuals, including over 40 children, and the wounding of thousands of others."

Given the time frame, Israeli government officials and military officers would likely be the first to face scrutiny by investigators. According to Haaretz, the list would almost certainly include "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; former defense ministers Moshe Ya alon, Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett; former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, and current Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi; and the former and current heads of the Shin Bet security service, Yoram Cohen and Nadav Argaman, respectively."

One wonders who would be included on a comparable list for the United States. There are a lot of lying politicians and sly generals to choose from. As both Israel and the United States do not recognize the authority of the ICC and will almost certainly refuse to participate in any fashion if the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity ever actually make it to the court, any discussion of lists are at this point merely travel advisories for war criminals.

The United States will push back and will inter alia certainly attempt to discredit the court using whatever weapons are available, to include sanctions against the nations that support any investigation and trial.

One nevertheless has to hope that the court will persevere in its effort to expose the crimes that continue to be committed by the United States and Israel in both Palestine and Afghanistan. Embarrassing Washington,D.C. and Jerusalem in a very visible and highly respected international forum might be the only way to change the direction of the two nations that more than any other insist that "might makes right."

Reprinted here from the "Strategic Culture Foundation" provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs. We are covering political, economic, social and security issues worldwide. Since 2005 our journal has published thousands of analytical briefs and commentaries with the unique perspective of independent contributors. SCF works to broaden and diversify expert discussion by focusing on hidden aspects of international politics and unconventional thinking. Benefiting from the expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, critical thought and progressive ideas.