I’m beyond disturbed when my country violates international law, i.e. the Geneva convention and can somehow justify our actions.
It is interesting on how many people don’t read the Geneva convention and then accuse people of violating it. First and foremost, the Geneva convention is written to protect the citizens within the country where the battle is taking place. The protection afforded to the fighting forces is secondary. Parts of the Geneva convention relating to protections for the fighting force are bilateral, not unilateral. For example, we have fighting force ‘A’ and ‘B’. If fighting force ‘A’ violates the Geneva convention, than fighting force ‘B’ is no longer bound by it. This is what gives the Geneva convention some of its ‘teeth’.
The Geneva convention has prohibition on explicitly targeting civilians.. whuups.. that is exactly what Al Qaeda has done– multiple times. (Twin Towers and their own people in Afghanistan who disagree with them.. local tribal leaders.)
The Geneva convention prohibits use of civilian shields.. whuups again.
The Geneva convention prohibits fighting forces from concealing themselves with civilian garb (this is to allow the opposing force to discriminate them from civilians and not accidentally hit a civilian).. whuups again.
The Geneva convention prohibits either fighting force from forcing the civilians to conceal or protect them.. whuups again.
This is why, during the whole Al Qaeda and IRAQ scenario, the UN and NATO has been quiet. The Geneva convention is written primarily to protect the civilians.. not the fighting forces, from abuse. It is written because of what Hitler and his forces did to their own civilians.. including forced conscription of children (also against the Geneva convention) into a fighting force.
