"As we approach the 2-year anniversary of Tom Krebsbach'
VFP resolution calling for handover of Iraq security to the U.N.,
his guest editorial appeared in the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
Every VFP member should be able to recite chapter and verse,
of the laws broken by the Bush administration,
-Todd Boyle - western washington chapter 92"
Opinion
WAR IN IRAQ VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW
By Tom Krebsbach
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
July 15, 2005
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
or
Common Dreams
More than two grueling years have passed since U.S. and coalition forces stormed into the sovereign nation of Iraq. Still there has been little discussion in this country about the legal standing of the invasion.
Perhaps that is because most Americans are reluctant to admit this inconvenient but certain fact: The United States/United Kingdom invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a war of aggression, a crime against the peace as defined by the Nuremberg Principles.
Various legal experts employed by the coalition governments will dispute this. But their arguments are incredibly weak and are not taken seriously by an overwhelming majority of scholars of international law in the world. These independent legal scholars, such people as Sean Murphy of George Washington University, Mary Ellen O'Connell of Ohio State University, and Philippe Sands of University College London, all hold that the invasion was a blatant violation of international law.
There are only two cases in which a nation or group of nations can legally undertake armed intervention against another nation: in self-defense against an armed attack or if the United Nations Security Council authorizes a coalition of nations to intervene militarily to maintain peace and security in the world.
Contrary to what the Bush administration would like the world to believe, the invasion of Iraq can be justified neither on the basis of self-defense nor because it was sanctioned by the Security Council.
These are the facts that outline the legal status of the war:
The primary grievance against Iraq was the claim that it had weapons of mass destruction and ongoing illicit weapons programs.
The U.N. weapons inspection team was invasively and thoroughly determining whether such weapons or weapons programs existed in Iraq.
The U.N. Security Council was not willing to grant authority to invade Iraq while the U.N. inspection team was handling the illicit weapons problem peacefully.
President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq anyway, in contravention of the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. Charter. Without Security Council authorization, the invasion was illegal and must be classified as a war of aggression.
Should Americans be concerned about international law? It is quite clear that Bush has little regard for it. Yet, the United States was founded on the basis of the rule of law. Article VI of the Constitution states that treaties, which this country has signed and ratified, are the "supreme law of the land."
The U.N. Charter is such a treaty, and it was created in large part because of the efforts of this country following World War II. For this country to so egregiously transgress the charter's prohibition on the use of force is not only a violation of international law, it is a violation of our Constitution and a repudiation of much of what this country stands for.
A thoughtful person does not require the U.S. Constitution or the U.N. Charter to understand the monstrosity of this invasion. Common sense and decency should tell us that launching an unprovoked invasion of another country, even one ruled by a man as nefarious as Saddam Hussein, is simply mass murder. What of the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis who have died as a result of this military incursion? Did anyone ask them if they were willing to sacrifice their lives in a risky attempt to install democracy in their land?
Whether Americans realize it or not, the integrity of the United States has been dealt a serious blow. This country can no longer be regarded as a nation that stands upon the legal and moral high ground. There is little doubt people of most countries now regard us as hypocrites.
In an effort to regain our lost integrity, it is time we hold accountable, through impeachment and prosecution, the leaders who planned and launched this disastrous and criminal war.
--Tom Krebsbach of Brier is a Vietnam veteran.
Resolution Of Tom Krebsbach,Passed,At Veterans For Peace 2003 National Convention
WORKING TO BRING ABOUT UNITED NATIONS CONTROL OVER SECURITY AND RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ
Whereas over two hundred U.S. soldiers have already died in the most recent campaign in Iraq, and U.S. soldiers continue to be targeted and killed at an alarming rate there,
And whereas if more nations were to participate in the enforcement of security and reconstruction in Iraq, the peril to U.S. forces would be significantly reduced and many U.S. soldiers would be able to return home,
And whereas many nations refuse to participate in such tasks because they are not under the auspices and control of the United Nations,
Be it resolved that Veterans for Peace calls upon the Congress of the United States to pass legislation requiring the Bush Administration to turn over to the United Nations the enforcement of security and the administration of reconstruction in Iraq, as a means of sharing this onerous burden with other nations of the world.
Be it further resolved that Veterans for Peace pledges to bring together family members of soldiers in Iraq, with the help of Military Families Speak Out and various other military support organizations and veterans groups, to testify to Congress and to lobby Congress on the need for this legislation.
Tom Krebsbach
Western Washington Veterans for Peace Post 92
Resolution Of Todd Boyle,Passed,At Veterans For Peace 2003 National Convention
END THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
WHEREAS the United States and "coalition" invasion and occupation of Iraq was illegal under international and Constitutional law, unjust according to many major religious and secular groups, and was strategically unwise and remains so today;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Veterans for Peace call on the United States Congress and the President for an immediate end to the illegal military occupation of Iraq.
Author: Todd Boyle
Endorsed by: Western Washington Chapter 92
July 11, 2003
Forty years later, with a "war on terrorism" serving as the central theme of pro-war propaganda, the United States and its military allies are routinely sending lethal messages. It should not surprise us when such messages are returned to sender.
Norman Solomon 09 July 2005