Only Law Can Save Iraq – and Ourselves
More than 11 years ago, high ranking government leaders in the United States and Britain likely broke international law in planning and waging the Iraq War.
The great command of the Nuremberg Tribunal convened after the Second World War to punish the evil that had shaken Europe was to abolish the “supreme international crime” – the planning and waging of wars of aggression. “War is essentially an evil thing,” the Tribunal held as it passed judgment on German leaders. “Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world.”
Decades later, today, Iraqis experience the stark truth behind these words. Iraq descends into chaos; even after 11 years of war, there is seemingly no end to the innocents who are chased from their homes, shot at, maimed and killed as a direct result of decisions made by leaders thousands of miles away, in other time zones, speaking other languages, and without apparent concern for the consequences of their actions.
The world was supposed to have learned from the catastrophes of the 20th century. But it was only a few years into the 21st before that supreme crime was initiated yet again – this time, by the authors of that same law, forgetting that it was another American, Robert H. Jackson, who had placed his trust that law would put an end to aggression once and for all.