"No double standards for atrocities in Iraq war"
By Bob Buzzanco

THE apparent capture and execution of American soldiers by Iraqi forces is a violation of international law and must be condemned. Those responsible for this horror -- a desperate, last-gasp atrocity committed by a brutal and corrupt regime in its dying days -- must be held accountable according to the standards of international law.

But it is also important to understand the larger context of this war and be aware of the nature of combat in Iraq.

In the buildup to the coalition invasion, American leaders repeatedly told the nation that Saddam Hussein was a brutal and vicious leader and did not adhere to the standards of civilized society, so the execution of American prisoners of war is certainly consistent with that and, sadly, is not unexpected.

At the same time, President George W. Bush and his subordinates promised that American forces would not act in violation of international accords on war or human rights. That must be investigated. The American media thus far have provided a sanitized version of this conflict, with images of bombings and advancing troops, but almost no footage whatever of the human consequences of the U.S. attacks. Media from other nations and independent observers, however, have already reported on significant numbers, in the hundreds at least, of civilian casualties. Reports from Iraqi hospitals have confirmed that noncombatants -- including the elderly, women and children -- have been killed and badly hurt. This would be a violation of international law and human rights standards -- as is Iraq's behavior.

In 1949, the United States became a signatory to the Geneva Convention on the "Protection of Victims of War." Article three stated that "persons taking no active part in the hostilities ... shall in all circumstances be treated humanely." It prohibited "violence to life and person" and "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment." The execution of POWs violates this agreement, but it is just as clear that attacks that cause death and injury to a civilian population are not sanctioned
either.

To believe that few or no civilians would be hurt was clearly not realistic. In the fighting so far, as the images from Baghdad hospitals show, this trend has continued. This in no way excuses the human rights atrocities of the Iraqi regime, but it does call into question the actions of American leaders.

American military commanders have observed that this war would be "unlike any ever seen before," but in many ways it is starkly and horribly similar. Civilians have been harmed and killed and such attacks have received little attention.

Those Iraqi officers responsible for atrocities against Americans should be tried and convicted, just as Slobodan Milosovic was for his crimes in Kosovo. But we must also examine the conduct of American officials who are responsible for attacks that kill and maim significant numbers of Iraqi civilians.

If, indeed, the United States wants to be seen as exceptional, wants to be a guardian of human rights, wants to liberate Iraq from a brutal regime, it must not conduct operations that kill and injure large segments of the civilian population. A double standard, where the enemy is vilified and the home country is condoned, should not be tolerated.

To condemn enemy atrocities but passively accept American actions that deny legal and human rights to Iraqi civilians would be to undermine the very principles upon which this war is supposedly being fought. We must demand a higher standard from our leaders.
 

www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/outlook/1832494