Arresting John Bolton

George Monbiot
I'm posting this so you'll have time to get your popcorn, a beverage and a front row seat.

On Wednesday 28th May 2008, I [George Monbiot] will attempt a citizen’s arrest of John Robert Bolton, former Under-Secretary of State, US State Department, for the crime of aggression, as established by customary international law and described by Nuremberg Principles VI and VII.

These state the following:

“Principle VI
The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:
(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

…

“Principle VII

Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.”

John "the walrus" Bolton
Note: Headline links to source.

John Bolton: Death = good politics

Yeah, ya can't beat some good old killing as a political tool.

Mr Bolton now describes it as "perfectly legitimate... and good politics" for the Israelis to seek to defeat their enemy militarily, especially as Hezbollah had attacked Israel first and it was acting "in its own self-defence".

(via Digby)

Bush doesn't learn from history?

I know, the headline is rhetorical. I got the idea for this post from watertiger who is riffing on John Bolton.

We should have turned Iraq over to the Iraqis sooner. We should have sent in many thousands more troops. We shouldn't have deposed Saddam. We shouldn't have disbanded the Iraqi Army. We should have supported the Iraqi people better. We should have never entered Iraq. We should have continued economic sanctions. We should have bombed Iraq into a sheet of glass. We should have tried more diplomacy. We should have enlisted the help of Iraq's neighbors to calm the country. We should have dealt with Muqtada al-Sadr earlier.

Even with the glorious luxury of hindsight, no one agrees on what should or should not have been done which is precisely why we should never have invaded in the first place. Duh!

Bush never understood the Mid-East nor does now, as if most westerners do, but he charged in like John Wayne anyway. There must have been some reason former presidents, including Bush 41 didn't invade. Double duh!