international war crimes and stuff

[steeljack]

Topic came up in another thread about wether prisoners held by the US military in detention centers off-shore from the US mainland were protected by the US constitution and as such were entitled to their day in court . The US Govt says they are enemy combatants and as such are prisoners of war and therefore covered by the terms of the Geneva conventions , and as such can be held until the end of hostilities .........
My question ....According to the President of the USA and the British Prime Minister we are fighting a war against terror , not any specific country or countries, which seems to me to be a nebulous idea, .......so when do we know when we have won or lost ? . The Allies knew when they won WWII , they had reached Berlin and Tokio.
So are we going to hold all these guys prisoner forever or until they recant their beliefs? (bit like holding Galileo in jail for believing the Earth revolved around the Sun) or do we put these folks on trial , in an international setting, The US Govt. rejects the idea of using The Hague, says it doesn't recognize that Courts validity, (but didn't object to the Bosnian war crimes trials, even though US forces had been involved in the conflict) .

Bullseyebarb ....over to you

[chav1]

hold them for ever for all i care if it keeps them off the streets i dont see a problem

this is why we will never win the war on terror because people have too much sympathy for the enemy

[bullseyebarb]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Topic came up in another thread about wether prisoners held by the US military in detention centers off-shore from the US mainland were protected by the US constitution and as such were entitled to their day in court . The US Govt says they are enemy combatants and as such are prisoners of war and therefore covered by the terms of the Geneva conventions , and as such can be held until the end of hostilities .........
My question ....According to the President of the USA and the British Prime Minister we are fighting a war against terror , not any specific country or countries, which seems to me to be a nebulous idea, .......so when do we know when we have won or lost ? . The Allies knew when they won WWII , they had reached Berlin and Tokio.
So are we going to hold all these guys prisoner forever or until they recant their beliefs? (bit like holding Galileo in jail for believing the Earth revolved around the Sun) or do we put these folks on trial , in an international setting, The US Govt. rejects the idea of using The Hague, says it doesn't recognize that Courts validity, (but didn't object to the Bosnian war crimes trials, even though US forces had been involved in the conflict) .

Bullseyebarb ....over to you

The Geneva Conventions cover uniformed military personnel fighting under the flag of their particular country. Even though our current enemy does neither, we still treat them as though they do. Perhaps it's time to revisit Geneva and make some adjustments to reflect the new realities. If trials are appropriate, fine. As long as these do not jeopardize national security during a time of war.

We are not fighting a war against terror. Terror is a tactic. We are engaged in a global war with Islamic Jihadists. We are not holding these people because of their beliefs. They are where they are because of their actions. Your Galileo comparison is stunning! Have you no grasp at all of the perils we face?

Don't expect this war to be over any time soon - especially if we fail to tackle the states who sponsor terrorism......top of the list, Iran and Syria.

Bosnia was in Europe's backyard and they should have handled the problem. The U.S. had no national interests there and I saw no reason why we needed to be involved.

The Hague is a circus. Slobodan Milosevic played that court like a fiddle for five years.....unto death as it turned out, with no verdict ever rendered.

[SPUGGIE J]

People seem to forget that the rules of war change with every conflift that is fought. The convention needs a serious update as things are so far beyond its original intention.as it was set in law in 1949 when war was suposed to be still civilized. Sadley now war is waged anyway that the beligirents find easiest and the most effective hence the way the war on terror is running.

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/91.htm