I agree with your concern with suppression of viewpoints. However, consider how many French civilians died from allied shelling during WWII. Sadly, it is the reality of large scale warfare. My understanding is that it isn't a war crime unless it is unnecessary or disproportionate to a legitimate military objective.
I agree with your concern with suppression of viewpoints. However, consider how many French civilians died from allied shelling during WWII. Sadly, it is the reality of large scale warfare. My understanding is that it isn't a war crime unless it is unnecessary or disproportionate to a legitimate military objective.
What the human rights groups said is that both sides were guilty of indiscriminate fire into civilian areas.
I tend to think war and war crimes go together and to paraphrase Chomsky ( yeah, he isn’t perfect), there are always lawyers present to argue that whatever our side does is just, etc…. I just want honest reporting about the fact that both sides shell cities. It probably is normal in war. But it is reported as a terrible war crime when one side does it and denied or excused when the other side does it.
One would think that supposedly educated people could see this, but what Orwell wrote in “Notes on Nationalism” seems like a timeless truth. People have an amazing ability to avoid knowing about the atrocities committed by the side they support.
I agree completely. Probably a quibble. I also agree completely with Sherman, who wrote "war is hell." War is entirely an atrocity. Sadly it is in some circumstances a necessary one. Sherman's leadership helped end slavery. Ukraine's war helps to deter Russia's program to reassert a Soviet style control over the components of the former USSR and, potentially, Eastern Europe.
I agree with your concern with suppression of viewpoints. However, consider how many French civilians died from allied shelling during WWII. Sadly, it is the reality of large scale warfare. My understanding is that it isn't a war crime unless it is unnecessary or disproportionate to a legitimate military objective.
What the human rights groups said is that both sides were guilty of indiscriminate fire into civilian areas.
I tend to think war and war crimes go together and to paraphrase Chomsky ( yeah, he isn’t perfect), there are always lawyers present to argue that whatever our side does is just, etc…. I just want honest reporting about the fact that both sides shell cities. It probably is normal in war. But it is reported as a terrible war crime when one side does it and denied or excused when the other side does it.
One would think that supposedly educated people could see this, but what Orwell wrote in “Notes on Nationalism” seems like a timeless truth. People have an amazing ability to avoid knowing about the atrocities committed by the side they support.
I agree completely. Probably a quibble. I also agree completely with Sherman, who wrote "war is hell." War is entirely an atrocity. Sadly it is in some circumstances a necessary one. Sherman's leadership helped end slavery. Ukraine's war helps to deter Russia's program to reassert a Soviet style control over the components of the former USSR and, potentially, Eastern Europe.