Ajit Randeniya

How quickly can things change?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

In 2006, US and Israel were the only ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-rogueƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ nations in the UN General Assembly who voted against the resolution to create the UNHRC. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Later, realising that they were missing out on a valuable tool of destabilisation of the developing world, the US joined the body exploiting the goodwill that followed the election of Barak Obama. This ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Johnny-come-latelyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ , together with the colonising thieves of the EU, has now become the most strident advocate of Human Rights amongst the 47 member nations of the UNHRC!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

This new-found disdain ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  war crimes by the US and EU is not backed by their own record or current criminality: a cursory look at the performance of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-rogueƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ US regimes over the last 50 years shows that their rants about war crimes is a classic case of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-poacher trying to turn game keeperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The objectives behind their joining the Council could not have much to do with protecting Human Rights or addressing war crimes; the cynical objective is to use the forum to assist their imperialistic aims.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The scale of American war crimes is reflected in the amount of money spent on illegal wars, and the volume of ammunition burnt during these crimes: the Vietnam war cost $670 billion, Korean War $295 billion and the Gulf War-1 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ $94 billion, in inflation-adjusted dollars. The cost of illegal Iraq and Afghanistan invasions have exceeded $800 billion so far. Though some of these costs were cunningly passed on to other countries through shonky arrangements such as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-coalitions of the willingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, the cost reflects the enormity of these crimes; so does the volume of munitions used. In the Vietnam War alone, 6.5 million tons of bombs, 400,000 tons of napalm and 11.2 million gallons of Agent Orange were dropped on the people of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. These illegal wars invariably involved saturation bombing of civilian areas, political assassinations, routine killings of civilians, destruction of crops and ground cover — all clear violations of international law — that is, war crimes.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

More recently, Operations “Desert Shield” and “Desert Storm” of Gulf War-1, waged to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the US created the scene commonly referred to as the “Highway of Death,” on the road from Kuwait to Basra, Iraq: US planes immobilised a convoy of more than 2,000 vehicles by disabling vehicles at its front and rear, then bombed and strafed the resulting traffic jam for hours. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tens of thousands of charred and dismembered bodies littered the sixty miles of highway. The clear rapid incineration of the human being suggested the use of napalm, phosphorus, incendiary bombs and other anti-personnel weapons outlawed under the 1977 Geneva Protocols. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Even worse, this massacre occurred after Saddam Hussein announced a complete troop withdrawal from Kuwait, constituting a violation of the Geneva Convention of 1949, common article 3. No attempt was made by U.S. military command to distinguish between military personnel and civilians on the “highway of death.”

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

In the more recent past, following the highly dubious, so-called 9/11 attacks orchestrated by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, Wolfowitz and the rest of the neocons, Bush reportedly said: “I don’t care what the international lawyers say, we are going to kick some ass.” Even if one ignores the idiotic statements of this half-wit, the US historical record in violating the Human Rights has been consistently deplorable.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Then the US, NATOƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and UK conspired “humanitarian warfare” against former Yugoslavia in 1999, killed tens of thousands of civilian casualties as a result of NATO bombings.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Other US violations of international law include December 2002 Donald Rumsfeld approved new interrogation methods for Guantanamo and the CIA transfer of detainees from Iraq to other countries with known records of human rights violations under the so-called “rendering”, for interrogation under torture. The New Zealand Herald reported that “Almost 10,000 prisoner’s were being held around the world in secretive American-run jails and interrogation centres similar to the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

In Afghanistan, in 2001, US bombers flying at low altitude bombed Red Cross warehouses outside Kabul, clearly marked with large 3-metre by 3-metre emblems on the roof, on two consecutive days. Attacking or occupying buildings marked with the Red Cross emblem constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law. On 5th May 2009, in Bala Baluk village of Farah Province the US airstrikes targeted peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s homes, killing more than 150, mostly women and children.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Despite these recent atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barak Obama appointed, on 11 May 2009, the suspected war criminal, Major General Stanley McChrystal as military commander in Afghanistan.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

This disgraceful record speaks for itself. Sri Lanka, with the help of other countries who are similarly affected, should be able to ward off the nuisance being caused by the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-hegemony of the war criminalsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, at the UNHRC.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Once the dust settles, their diplomats in Colombo should be treated with the disdain they deserve by limiting or totally eliminating any role or opportunity for them in the ensuing process of economic development. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚