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From: Peter Brooke <pbrooke@ukonline.co.uk> Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 08:49:24 +0100 To: tim buckley <tim.buckley@tesco.net> Subject: Re: [casi] Repeated request Dear Tim Buckley et al As far as I can see the 1991 war against Iraq was the only military intervention the US have conducted with the permission of the Security Council since the Korean War (which was able to get SC approval because China was represented by Taiwan, and the Soviet Union was boycotting the SC at the time). Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nicaragua (where the intervention was formally condemned by the International Court of Justice), Grenada, Panama, Serbia were all conducted without SC approval so in that sense they were all 'illegal'. If the strange principle is accepted that one country can judge when 'UN' resolutions have been flouted, and act unilaterally to enforce them, then the forthcoming war on Iraq is, relative to most other US activities in the world, quite 'legal'. Best wishes Peter > From: "tim buckley" <tim.buckley@tesco.net> > Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 23:54:11 +0100 > To: <soc-casi-discuss@lists.cam.ac.uk> > Subject: Re: [casi] Repeated request > > Dear Diarmaid, > my understanding is that if the Security Council approves of the attack - > more accurately, as you describe it - the proposed US/UK massacre - then it > is legal. It will still be a massacre to allow us to get a political > settlement in Iraq that is agreeable to US/UK interests but it will be > legal. I read somewhere that the US is promising different members of the > Security Council a share in the spoils(ie Iraq's oil) if they go along with > the attack. But the US and UK are also explicit about the fact that they do > not necessarily want Security Council authorisation for their war crimes. In > fact this contempt for the most basic principles of international law in the > UN Charter, which demands such authorisation, has a history.The US attack on > Sudan in 1998 happened without approval from the Security Council as did > Operation Desert Fox(1998) by the US and UK against Iraq(in which, > unbelieveably, more bombs were dropped on Iraq in 3 days than in the whole > of the Gulf War which lasted over 40 days) - no Security Council approval. > Legally, therefore, these were war crimes. You may have noticed that > practically every time Blair(or Bush) mentions the UN it's to say something > that can be paraphrased as "Get with us on this or be irrelevant" or "UN > approval would be nice but it's not neccessary." They thereby make a point > of saying that they could not care less about international law or the UN > Security Council. In order to help deter these criminals I have pledged to > carry out civil disobedience if they launch a massive attack on Iraq and I > urge everyone else to do the same or something similar. > Regards, Tim > > ---- Original Message ----- > From: "Diarmuid" <diarmuidfogarty@onetel.net.uk> > To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> > Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2002 8:16 AM > Subject: [casi] Repeated request > > > > [ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] > > Just a reminder of my earlier question. I know how easy it is for these > things to get lost in the various threads: > > Who decides if the UN approves of the wholesale massacre of Iraqi people? Is > it the General Assembly or the Security Council? How many countries > consitute the Security Council? [How many of those countries form part of > the G7/8 body?] > > Of course, I could go and find out this information for myself...well, > actually, this is almost what I'm doing! Any answers? > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk > _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk