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AmSpecBlog
The UN Investigates the US in Afghanistan
If we needed a reminder why the International Criminal Court is a bad idea, we have one. The ICC plans on investigating U.S. actions in Afghanistan. Brett D. Schaefer and Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation report:
the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) stated that investigations into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan may result in the prosecution of U.S. policymakers or servicemen. The potential prosecution of U.S. persons by the court over incidents that the U.S. deems lawful is one of the prime reasons why the Bush Administration did not seek U.S. ratification of the treaty creating the court, rejected ICC claims of authority over U.S. persons, and sought to negotiate agreements with countries to protect U.S. persons from being arrested and turned over to the ICC.
The investigation is not complete, the prosecutor has not determined if he will seek warrants against U.S. officials or servicemen, and Afghanistan is constrained from turning over U.S. persons to the ICC under existing agreements. However, the potential legal confrontation justifies past U.S. policy, emphasizes the need to maintain and expand legal protections for U.S. persons against ICC claims of jurisdiction, and should lead the Obama Administration to endorse the Bush Administration's policies toward the ICC.
The Obama administration reportedly is prepared to increase cooperation with the ICC. Instead, President Barack Obama should reaffirm present U.S. policy, refusing both to be bound by the so-called Rome Statute and to acknowledge UN jurisdiction over American personnel.
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Eric Dondero| 9.20.09 @ 9:36AM
What's this? Left Libertarian Doug Bandow all of a sudden praising the US Military and US Foreign Policy? After Bandow mercissly attacked Republicans and the War in Iraq all through 2006/07/08.
Everyone please take note. I've been following Bandow and other Leftist Libertarians for quite some time.
They can't possibly bring themselves to side with Republicans. They're oh so cynical (just like Matt Welch and the guys at Reason). They've got to be above it all.
So, when the GOP is in power, they do everything they can to side with the Left and attack Republicans.
When the GOP is out of power, it's safe again for them to rise out of their muck, and appear to be Pro-American.
Don't buy their line.
I've been a Libertarian activist for 25+ years. You think dealing with the Left is bad? Try being in the same movement with these two-faced fib-mongerers like Bandow and his Leftist Libertarian buddies.
Bandow, you ain't getting away with your new found persona. You will be exposed.
Doug Bandow| 9.20.09 @ 10:07AM
Eric--you are such a hoot! You sound like the lefties I dealt with when I was on the Stanford University student council. Agit-prop from the leading big government libertarian. I love it.
I've long been critical of the UN. Fought to kill the Law of the Sea Treaty while working for Ronald Reagan in the White House. Doing my best to keep it in its grave now.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I previously contributed to Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute books attacking attacking the UN. I criticized the ICC, supporting your buddies in the Bush administration when they were otherwise expanding government and increasing spending. I even backed John Bolton for UN Ambassador.
But you were too busy promoting social engineering and war around the globe to notice. In fact, to believe in non-intervention is an old conservative virtue. Go back and read George Washington. Or George Will today.
Your models are Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, liberal interventionists all. Makes me wonder why you call yourself a libertarian.
But what the heck! Kevin Phillips, the big government conservative, needs a libertarian equivalent. So keep spouting your big government libertarian agit-prop. It is so much fun to read. Brings back fond memories of my college days so very long ago!
S.L. Toddard| 9.20.09 @ 11:34AM
WHOA!
S.L. Toddard| 9.20.09 @ 11:44AM
The above "Whoa" was supposed to be followed by a post, but I hit "submit" by accident.
What I was going to say to Mr. Bandow was this: Bravo. Why is it that the constitutional (small-r) republicans here are so drowned out by the Liberal Wilsonian Internationalist (big-R) Republicans? One could visit AmSpec daily and fail to notice that proponents of constitutional gov't, fiscal responsibility, and the traditional conservative foreign policy of non-interventionism have any voice here at all.
Anyway, bravo Mr. Bandow.
Alan Brooks| 9.21.09 @ 12:32AM
"What I was going to say to Mr. Bandow was this: Bravo. Why is it that the constitutional (small-r) republicans here are so drowned out by the Liberal Wilsonian Internationalist (big-R) Republicans? One could visit AmSpec daily and fail to notice that proponents of constitutional gov't, fiscal responsibility, and the traditional conservative foreign policy of non-interventionism have any voice here at all. "
Some of us aren't Wilsonites, some of us think the UN investigating anything is like Albert Anastasia investigating Vito Genovese. And if Bandow is libertarian, then I don't like him, no matter how erudite he is.
Only thing worse than libertarian is Commie.
Alan Brooks| 9.21.09 @ 10:19AM
if Toddard likes what Bandow writes, then we ought to be suspicious of both Bandow and libertarianism.
Bandow,
libertarians are just Republicans in drag
-- look at those the libertarians run for office.
Alan Brooks| 9.21.09 @ 10:45AM
...left libertarianism?
isn't that just a new new left counterculture?
Me? I want to be the last conservative killed in the last battle of the last culture war.
Alan Brooks| 9.21.09 @ 10:41AM
"In fact, to believe in non-intervention is an old conservative virtue. Go back and read George Washington. Or George Will today. "
Geo Will is a sensible modern conservative, the best of the best, not a libertopian.
Richard Baker| 9.20.09 @ 10:24AM
Doug:
The UN is a travesty. The high hopes invested in this organization at its founding in San Francisco in 1945 have been dashed, to say the least. Ineptitude and irrelevancy seem to follow the UN and it's predecessor, the League of Nations. The indifference show Haile Selassie in 1936 has been replaced with active hostility on the part of the dictators who presently infest the UN. Sad.
Yosemeti Sam| 9.20.09 @ 11:09AM
How long they been in business?
What pogroms have they resolved since
their mortared 'founding'?
UN equals swampland!
Pure and simple.
Zeitgeitst| 9.20.09 @ 12:16PM
Holy crap...come out of you cave Doug?
I'm with Erik on this one...you a bit late to the party...
Got any of that Abramoff cash left?
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Faffnir| 9.21.09 @ 7:26AM
I believe that the people who wrote the UN charter, (and I can't for the life of me remember their names but Alger Hiss was one and another Roosevelt aide, Harry Hopkins?) were both dedicated agents of the Soviet Union and designed the UN to be able to further Soviet aims, not those of the United States. I am open to correction on the names, but "The Black Book of Communism" provides the rest of the sordid details.
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