From: ce11son@yahoo.ca   
      
   On Thu, 10 Dec 2015 17:40:00 -0600, Stephen Sprunk   
    wrote:   
      
   >On 09-Dec-15 15:59, Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
   >> Despite what the Geneva Convetions state, there's no practical   
   >> recognition of war crimes. There isn't a dictator on the planet who   
   >> maintains power without committing human rights violations, some of   
   >> which probably do rise to the level of war crimes when committed   
   >> during a civil war. Yet they maintain foreign trade and foreign   
   >> relations and have little trouble buying arms on the open market.   
   >   
   >Going after a sitting head of state--or anyone else with diplomatic   
   >immunity--would be an act of war, and you can see how well that worked   
   >out in the case of Saddam Hussein, for us and for the Iraqi people.   
   >   
   >OTOH, if/when they are deposed, however, they lose diplomatic immunity   
   >and we will happily prosecute--and execute--them.   
   >   
   As applied to General Pinochet when there was an attempt to deal with   
   him in the UK some years ago, that's sovereign immunity not diplomatic   
   immunity (which most "sovereigns" be they monarchs or presidents don't   
   have). It only applies to acts within their own country not those in   
   other countries; the immunity continues beyond their end of period of   
   rule/office but only WRT events within that period. It was one of the   
   various reasons why Emperor Hirohito was not tried after WW2. Those   
   who did come to a sticky end (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini, Ceausescu,   
   Hussein, Quisling and others) generally did so at the hands of   
   themselves, their own country or as a general war victim.   
      
   >> Lots of times, when foreign nations want them gone, they let them   
   >> keep the money they've stolen and don't prosecute for war crimes,   
   >> simply because we're trying to delay the start of the inevitable   
   >> civil war.   
   >   
   >That doesn't stop _others_ from prosecuting them for war crimes, which   
   >is why they invariably run straight to a non-extradition country.   
   >   
   >S   
      
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