At 10:19 PM -0700 4/7/00, Steve Schear wrote:
>At 10:30 AM 4/7/00 -0700, Lizard wrote:
>>International 'law' is as strong as the strongest nation that supports
>>the law. The US will only obey such laws as it finds convenient. Deal
>>with it, Euroeweenies.
>
>Yes, and one has only to look at the hand wringing at the Dept. of
>State over the Internal Tribunal's recent decision to investigate
>alleged U.S./NATO war crimes to see that a "heads I win tails you
>lose" philosophy permeates our foreign policy.
I believe it was either Stalin or Goering who, when told the Catholic
Church disapproved of their latest genocide, replied "So how many
divisions does the Pope have?" The same remains true even today.
Without military force behind it, the disapproval of some 'World
Court' is about as meaningful as, well, my disapproval.
If every major first-world power teamed up, they could impose their
will on the US, but at a devastating cost. Will they pay that cost
over Bosnia? Not bloody likely. (Just as the US will make tut-tut
noises if China invades Taiwan but will not commit a single soldier
to defending it. I sincerely hope no one in Taiwan is stupid enough
to entrust their freedom to American promises.)
I still find it amazing people are shocked by this very basic bit of
realpolitik. Law is a gun hiding behind a piece of paper. Without the
gun, law is meaningless.
