Old soldiers don't fade away soon enough it seems. On this matter, I'm squarely with GWBush. This matter being a demand to the Congress to do some serious legislating on a matter of clarity with regard to America's position on the Geneva Convention. Let us go back to Monsters on a Leash so you know where I'm basically coming from.
First, let me point out the obvious which is that the defense of the nation requires no international sanction. While it is quite possible that the Geneva Conventions have hit upon a universal standard of behavior which has been and always will be broadly acceptable, the chances are more likely that it could use a review in light of the kinds of conflict with which we are engaged. It is just as likely that our Armed Forces may be completely unsuitable for this kind of conflict. Again, both were conceived with the kind of national defense required for a clash of modern nations. I am willing to stipulate both require update in terms of their dealing with the cellular nature of distributed guerilla terrorism.
The 'bar' is not 'lowered'. It is illusory. It is a bourgie convention designed to make citizens of liberal democracies sleep better with the idea that gallantry is the order of modern warfare.
With regard to the humanitarian treatment of prisoners of war, the Geneva Conventions are presumeably that thing which separates us from the savages. Or more appropriately, the Conventions separate the civilized warring nations from the rogue states. I think it is beyond question with regard to the perfidity of the jihadist irregulars that we are dealing with rogues. But we're all capable of savagery. In that regard, there is no difference between 'us' and 'them'. We all retain the essence of our humanity which allows us to kill at all. No one suggests that we not kill the enemy. The difference lies in what our systems are constructed to do and how they perform when called into duty. The difference lies in the quality of the cage in which our monsters reside during the off season. The difference lies in the willingness to look, to see, to judge and to act when monstrous subjects are at hand. These are not differences made real by the existence of a Geneva Convention, but differences made real by the structure and behavior of the US military and its civilian oversight.
So here is our chance to either punt to the Convention in the face of the unconventional adversary or make the the spaces on the bars of the cage of our monsters a bit more shiny and well defined. It will set a clearer timetable on when the door is sprung and who controls the leash and how tightly. This is not about how our neighbors behave in their own backyard, it's about how we control our own power. It seems to me an abhorrent abdication for Congress to do this job without anything but the utmost pride in the power we possess. But to do so is to speak the unspeakable, to admit that we are at war with people who don't care how we war against them, as long as it's not 'disproportionate', ie so long as we don't make them regret poking us. If we must be outlaws to attain victory it will be because this Congress will have pulled the law from under our feet.
And let us not mince words about it. This is the Congress' responsibility. It's already disgusting that they are passing the mic to Colin Powell. Retired means retired Colin, you're out of the game and you never scored the TD, we don't want your commentary any longer.
If Powell and Levin and McCain can name one modern conflict where our enemies gave POWs treatment in accordance with the GC, I’d be glad to post it right here on my blog. Don’t expect that kind of an update any time soon.
When the US Military sees it fit to pull Powell out of retirement, then we'll listen, but we know he and his boy are out making fat ducats in VC circles. Write another book or shutup.
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