Conducting a humanitarian war
Polity: A political form of political system or government
Been watching the latest news reports on the Syrian conflict: Important to note that the treaties of the Fourth Geneva convention of 1949, ratified in whole or in part by 195 countries following the end of WWII, established standards for humanitarian treatment in war – an oxymoron, in my book. Earlier, in 1928, the League of Nations accepted the registration of the Hague Protocol, which prohibited the “first use” of chemical and biological weapons in war. Silly me, but I’ve always wondered how these wise men came to the conclusion that it was somehow acceptable to massacre any untold number of innocent people with bullets, bombs and scimitars, but killing those same people with a nerve gas was beyond the pale. Go figure.
[Written in August 2013]