Could the US be accused of committing genocide in Iraq?

[NVMojo]

By facilitating a state of chaos, civil strife, etc?

Especially since the number of Iraq civilians killed since we declared the war "to be over" has reached astronomical proportions and we are still over there?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. accused and

convicted. imho

[The Magistrate]

2. Not Really, Ma'am

That crime involves the determined intent to kill as many of a particular group as you can manage, and for no other reason than their identity. It would be a very over-blown charge that could not be sustained. Some of the various sectarian militias might be open to it, however.

The U.S. could very easily be charged with grave violations of the Geneva Accords regarding the detention of prisoners. A charge of failing to adeqautely minimize non-combatant casualties could certainly be made, and relating to some points, such as conduct of road-blocks in the period during and immediately the invasion, or some elements of the final engagements at Fallujah, might well be sustained. Charges of waging an illegal war of aggression would be technically possible, but their being sustained would not, in my view at least, be a very good bet.

[NVMojo]

20. thanks, Magistrate.

[DELUSIONAL]

3. The bushie gang SHOULD be & must be indited, tried & convicted

for crimes against humanity.

Germany needed to go through that process -- and now the US must be cleansed by going through the same process.

I am opposed to the death penalty -- and deeply believe that the bush gang must be forced to admit/recognize their crimes against humanity.

Will this happen -- will the bush gang be forced to be responsible for their behavior??

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Don't need conviction for what is plainly obvious and true. n/t

[Sawkrates]

5. Genocide=

The intentional elimination of an ethnic group, religion, etc. Whatever else you can say about Bush, I don't think that he intends to wipe out the Iraqi people.

It may be gross stupidity or some of the most bleakly cynical electioneering in the history of the republic, but I'm fairly certain that it's not genocide.

[Sawkrates]

6. Though for the record W has definitely committed war crimes

As I recall the four charges on which the Nazis were indicted at Nuremburg (including conspriacy to commit agressive war) were written into international law. If lying to drag the country into a war isn't 'conspiracy to committ agressive war' I don't know what is.

[greenisin]

7. Over 100k civilians dead in Iraq...

Of course Bushie is guilty of it. Are you trying to defend him by putting it in the form of a question?

[The Magistrate]

8. What An Odd Comment, Sir....

[NVMojo]

21. dude, take a lude.

[SongOfTheRayne]

9. Genocide? No. War crimes? Yes.

Even if they determine that the invasion was legal, within the war, in so many unneccesary ways, we have trampled the standards of the U.N. to the point where....well, let me shut up before I go off on a rant. But what i wonder is: since we helped install and fund the Uzbekistani dictatorship, and Uzbekistan isn't under the jurisdiction of the Geneva Convention and is widely known to have commited horrible crimes against its own people- COULD WE BE ACCUSED of assisting Uzbekistan in commiting those crimes?

[jackieMN]

10. Absolutely

I think: absolutely. And, I also think that what is happening to our troops is a form of ethnic cleansing/genocide because where are the WMD, etc? I do believe that certain races and economic classes are being targeted to enlist in the military. With all of the so-called issues to deal with in the U.S., down-sizing of companies, which in turn, ends up to be an unemployment problem, the cutting of programs originally designed to help with that sort of thing, Social Security possibly bankrupt in the future, healthcare issues, the elderly and disabled, over-population, etc... it seems a strange coincidence to me,personally, that the generation that Social Security would be needed for the most ( an example ) are being killed off in a war, in a country that we shouldn't even be in. But I highly doubt that we will ever see Bin Laden caught because of the family business ties there. He will help with the next 9-11 whenever it happens. You look at past history, and we all know who was responsible for the forms of previous genocide, etc... Well, I believe that history does repeat itself. And, we do have a problem with the same thing right now, only it's being staged in a different manner so it seems undetectable. I do think that what is going on right now is some kind of an agenda that is being carried out because people are just so comfortable, thinking it can't happen to us here, or that we are just too trusting and have our rose colored glasses on, etc... Alot of people can't see it because they are in big time denial. Then, it will be Iran, then Syria, then possibly even North Korea. I don't think it's going to end any time soon.

[cali]

14. Ignorance

such as that displayed in your post is shocking to me. Please go back and read the Magistrate's post. Much as you may want it to be genocide, it's not. It doesn't fit the legal definition. As to your assertion that the generation needed to bolster Social Security is being killed off in war, codswallop.
2300 have been killed, each a terrible loss. 10,000 have been injured. The population of the US is just under 300 million. Now each of those deaths is a tragedy but statiscally they're barely noise. That may sound callous, but it's just a fact.

History does repeat itself, but we have to be careful about comparisons. Hyperbole never helped any cause. Vigilance, yes. Hyperbolic paranoia, no.

Iran, Syria and N. Korea? I doubt it. Bush has less than 3 years left, and he's functionally a lame duck. He commands no mandate from the American people. Our military is stretched to the limit. An invasion of Iran is unlikely for that reason alone. Bombing Iran? Possible, but military analysts think it unlikely that bombing would be effective. Syria? Again, we don't have the forces. N. Korea? The cat's out of that bag.

As far as when our military misadventures will draw to a close, I suspect sooner rather than later. It is more than a little difficult to wage a highly upopular war, let alone add to the number being waged.
Odds are very good that dems will gain seats in Congress in November. We may even take back the House or the Senate. Should we do so, I think Impeachment proceedings are not at all far fetched.

[jackieMN]

15. I Respect Everyone's Point Of View

We are in a country, attacking people who have done nothing to us personally. Regardless of what Sadam Hussein did to his own population, what have the Iraqis done to us? We should be in Afghanistan, capturing Osama. Alot of us have been brain washed into thinking that Iraq caused 9-11, when it was Bin Laden. Are you aware that the Bush family had business ties to the Bin Ladens, and that Bush's grandfather helped finance Hitler's agenda? Do your research, like I have done mine. Bush himself has said that this "war" is going to last 30 years or so. If he gets his wish with that, I think there's going to be more than 24K dead by the end of that time frame. Every day it's more and more. The Bush administration is constantly pushing for more war funding. Why? Why is that if it's all going to end sooner rather than later? That is what I mean by the population control stuff. Do you know about REX 84-FEMA and just what the Executive Orders entail if Martial Law is ever enforced in this country? The constitution can be suspended, and whoever is in power can remain in power. If Bush wanted, there may never be another free election in America again. Nothing would surprise me with him. Iran is threatening this and that now, trying to engage us, I believe. While we may not have alot of forces right now, don't think for a moment that they wouldn't enforce another draft if they had to. What do you think "No Child Left Behind" is all about? Every school involved in that has to give the names of their students to the military. War is a form of population control in some cases. Look what we allowed to happen in Bosnia. We stepped in at almost the last moment there, but if there's oil at stake, we're immediately there. Everyone has their view points, and that's what these forums and boards are for - to express ourselves. Nobody needs to be personally attacked for free speech. There's enough attacking going on in Iraq and elsewhere.

[jackieMN]

18. May I Add

What happened right before all of this began, prior to Bush getting elected for his 1st term? Do you remember that a census was taken in our country?! Every time a census has been taken, throughout the history of mankind, what was the result? Killing. Think about things now, and what I said before about the population, etc... Peace, Jackie

[NVMojo]

22. peace, Jackie

[onenote]

24. are you suggesting a causal relationship between the census and war?

Just curious...

onenote

[SteelBird]

11. No, but there is an actual genocide going on in a place called Sudan

We should intervene there, we're making the same mistake that was made in Rwanda under Clinton and it will get only worse if we don't do anything.

[SongOfTheRayne]

23. Darfur? Isn't the U.N. going to intervene?

Glad somebody knows about that...but intervene how? Not quite clear on what the U.N. plans to do, but the Sudanese government seems to be angry that we're going to attempt some kind of imperial takeover...now, suspecting the u.n. of wanting to launch an imperial takeover is completley rediculous. I mean, really, it's the U.N...but if America was to take action beyond the action of the U.N., then there might be reason to worry about imperialism...which brings me back to the point that I'm not quite sure what the U.N.'s plans are...

[shance]

12. This Administration could be accused of the same in New Orleans.

Remember New Orleans, remember what happened to the residents and remember how they were treated and are being treated now.

The Administration and FEMA got rid of the majority of the African American population in New Orleans. They are no longer there.

[jackieMN]

13. I Agree

You're right.

[NativeTexan]

16. Bush is criminally liable for the...

....2300 American dead in Iraq; the over 3000 American dead on 9/11; what will turn out to be 1500 or more dead Americans from Katrina; the thousands of dead Iraqi civilians that he has had our children slaughter; the dead in London, Spain, the Phillipines, etc. by not getting OSAMA instead of wasting time, money, and human lives on SADDAM!!

Bush is a legitimate WAR CRIMINAL and TREASONOUS TRAITOR to the United States!

[Vidar]

17. yes and rightly so.

[radio4progressives]

19. We already have been accused by the International Tribunal

held in Instanbul two years ago, and then i think another one was held in New York city recently (check me on location) and the same charges (only more)..

We do Stand Accused.

The difference between now and two years ago, was that only Bush and his henchment were hated and despised by the world, now we, the people are held in very low esteem for allowing this regime to continue to be in power.

[radio4progressives]

26. The International Committee of Conscience Tribunal

i think it was called..

[mariecurie]

25. GUILTY

Spreading Depleted Uranium all over their country is definately an act of genocide. (not to mention everything else)