tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post115286862075420358..comments2023-10-19T06:59:20.135-07:00Comments on Kishkushim خربطات קישקושים: More Europeans who don't get itAmoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1153052610757522452006-07-16T05:23:00.000-07:002006-07-16T05:23:00.000-07:00How about "Euranians" (from Euranus) instead of "t...How about "Euranians" (from Euranus) instead of "the Europeans"? (Because yes, there are some Euros who do get it.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1152895470145207002006-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:002006-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00John is right. International law is based on the a...John is right. International law is based on the actions of sovereign states, which is why Israel's attacks are only considered legitimate if the state of Lebanon can be established as ultimately responsible for paramilitary assaults. For this reason, until the actual Lebanese army strikes and/or God forbid more Israelis die, Israel's responses will always be construed as disproportionate, being official state military responses inflicting "collective punishment" on another state that denies responsibility for its individual citizens' actions. This is one of the many reasons paramilitary forces inside a state with an official army are so insidious. But few on the left are up in arms about the Lebanese government's refusal to disarm Hizbollah. Go figure. <BR/><BR/>International law is bantied about as if it were the gospel itself. Human rights activists have been citing int'l law for years to condemn Israel's "disproportionate" collective punishment for the crimes of suicide bombers. They expect everyone to play by the rules -- but there are no rules in guerilla warfare or terrorism, or when a paramilitary force is used (or at least tolerated) as a proxy for a state military. <BR/><BR/>In other words, Israel IS technically violating international law, but that law is full of holes when it provides states no protection from state-tolerated paramilitaries. Why do you think the U.S. and Israel have needed to pass all these laws to establish the cateogry of "illegal combattant"?<BR/><BR/>Just as a last thought, Amos, I still insist that we refrain from using the phrase "the Europeans" in our discussions...Noah S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04239325279763210268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1152876642916273882006-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:002006-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:00The problem is that international law has yet to f...The problem is that international law has yet to figure out how to deal with non-state actors and asymmetrical warfare.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13210829547141285116noreply@blogger.com