Do as we tell you, not as we do .........

[Thinkerman]

By Matthew Riemer

YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)

 

(YellowTimes.org) – The Bush administration ushered in a new era on March 20 with its preemptive invasion of Iraq: one of lawlessness and unaccountability. The world is already a place governed by the rule of force, and this action by the United States, in the most emphatic way imaginable, has reinforced and amplified this unfortunate condition. A new precedent has been established by which all future actions will now be judged.

 

It's ironic then, to say the least, for the United States to suddenly claim that the treatment of U.S. POWs by Iraq is a war crime and a violation of the Geneva Convention. The hypocrisy and sheer arrogance of such statements is unbelievable.

 

 

How can the leadership of the United States expect others to honor laws and norms of conduct that they themselves are in gross and repeated violation of?

 

It's not that the broadcast of the harassment, interrogation, or execution of POWs (if that is indeed the case) is acceptable or defendable but that it pales in comparison to violations casually carried out by the United States on a regular basis.

 

Such an obsession with the minutiae of international law also distorts events by taking a relatively mild and insignificant incident (the treatment of a handful of POWs) and emphasizing and sensationalizing it to the point where it seems like a profound and far-reaching crime (the burying in mass graves of thousands of Iraqis by US forces during the Gulf War, twelve years of murderous sanctions, or the current war itself).

 

The Bush administration has created a world that they must now unfortunately live in, and to a certain degree, accept. They can choose not to accept this, but that will only result in more bloodshed and madness as Washington frantically patrols the world violently disciplining all those who break their rules. And as this double standard is perpetuated and further exaggerated by American actions the spite among the world's citizens and governments will just continue to grow and become radicalized.

 

Why is it acceptable for the United States to withdraw from the ABM treaty but not for North Korea to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty? Why is it acceptable for the United States to use armaments tipped with depleted uranium while selected countries cannot even posses "chemical weapons"? Why is it acceptable for the United States to preemptively invade and bomb Iraq while the Iraqis themselves aren't allowed to have missiles actually capable of defending themselves? Why is it acceptable for the United States to circumnavigate and cynically manipulate international law whenever it wishes but not for others?

 

And what about the prisoners or "enemy combatants" held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by the U.S.? These POWs, many of whom were just "in the wrong place at the wrong time," are paraded around in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs in front of the world while the Bush administration plays semantic games trying to deny them their right to resist American intervention by claiming that they aren't even soldiers; such a designation also provides a legal loophole that allows the likes of John Ashcroft to squirm free of the restraints of international law, enabling the U.S. to violate prisoners' rights provided by the same Geneva Convention the U.S. is now crying about.

 

Both the American people and leadership may be in for a rude awakening as, if the events of the last several months are any indication, the world is finally just saying no to American hypocrisy and bullying.

 

[Matthew Riemer has written for years about a myriad of topics, such as: philosophy, religion, psychology, culture, and politics. He studied Russian language and culture for five years and traveled in the former Soviet Union in 1990. In the midst of a larger autobiographical/cultural work, Matthew is the Director of Operations at YellowTimes.org. He lives in the United States.]

 

Matthew Riemer encourages your comments: mriemer@YellowTimes.org