Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass bombing of civilian infrastructure in Iran present US military officers with a dilemma: disobey orders or help commit war crimes.
It is an urgent matter for the US chain of command. In an expletive-laden threat, Trump set a Tuesday 8pm Washington time deadline for the Iranian government to open the strait of Hormuz or face “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one”.
There is little debate among legal experts that such an attack on the life-supporting infrastructure for 93 million Iranians would constitute a war crime.
“Such rhetorical statements – if followed through – would amount to the most serious war crimes – and thus the president’s statements place service members in a profoundly challenging situation,” two former judge advocate general (JAG) officers, Margaret Donovan and Rachel VanLandingham wrote on the website Just Security on Monday.
“As former uniformed military lawyers who advised targeting operations, we know the president’s words run counter to decades of legal training of military personnel and risk placing our warfighters on a path of no return.”
SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY FUCKIN’ EASY DECISION.
Make crime or make no crime.
Is it allowed to be a serious question for the rest of us as well? Or is it just the fucking Military that has the Option to ditch the Law?
The law is just a bunch of words, it can’t make you do anything or prevent you from doing anything. Follow it or don’t your call
Maga only if we let them.
There is no brain under the helmet.
As a former soldier, “warfighter” is the stupidest fucking word I’ve heard in my life. It makes me think the speaker is a profound idiot every time I hear it. This might be the first time I’ve read the word — and it is just as stupid as ever.
That’s who got voted into office. It’s no one’s fault but the American public that these people are your leaders. It’s easy to get ride of them. Collectively vote them out. But that probably won’t happen.
It will 100% happen if we have fair elections, but that’s the rub. Trump has terrible numbers. The economy is garbage. Everything is garbage. We elected a dictator, and he might be too big of a buffoon to strangle our democracy, but there’s a chance that it’s already too late and we failed to stop him when it was possible without violence.
That’s not a “dilemma.” You don’t commit war crimes. You absolutely have the right and the duty to refuse illegal orders
I genuinely didn’t expect that level of “both sides”-ism from The Guardian.
I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is simple. Disobey illegal orders.
Exactly. It’s not an “urgent matter for the chain of command”, it’s a settled matter of policy predicated on the unlawful murder of millions.
Agreed. I regret that the consequences for doing the right thing could be very high, but doesn’t it just seem like case in so many instances? What a backwards species humans are. No consequences for the guy causing all of the problems but how dare you do the right thing to everyone who rightfully objects.
No one wants to be excluded from the group, that’s our nature. It means immediate end of career and likely a bunch of hate speech and death threats to the first officer who openly says “no, I refuse that order,” so I can understand why no one has done it….but it’s also the WHOLE FUCKING OATH so I can’t believe no one has done it. More will follow unless we let this purge continue quietly
immediate end of career and likely a bunch of hate speech and death threats
way better than the actual rope
Ah yes the nazi dilemma.
We solved that one in nuremberg. How is it even a question ffs
Been a long time since then. It ain’t that they forgot, it’s that they think it shouldn’t be their problem
Operation Paperclip showed them that there can be exceptions written into literally any rule including mass murder, so of course they all assume they’ll be pardoned.
aren’t they illegal orders?
the kind of orders where following them would be committing war crimes
They know the rules, and several elected officials reminded them in video messages that were very controversial.
They are walking into this with their eyes wide open, knowing the entire world is watching. If they accept those orders, and carry them out, they know it will not be forgotten, they will be punished for it eventually. They deserve no mercy if they follow that path.
Oh yeah, a real head scratcher
Is is legal to commit war crimes in the United States? Because if it is, this becomes an ethical argument rather than a legal one.
With this Trump-appointed crooked SCOTUS and the Trump-appointed crooked US Attorney General, combined with the fact we are not signatories to the ICC? I’m going to sadly say yes.
I don’t think it’s just because of this administration… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes
Certainly not, but seems this Admin is attempting a speed-run for a new record in both quantity and severity.
Thanks you fucking maga idiots. We all told you what was up and you ignored us.
They also ignored all their teachers.
That’s how they became MAGAts.
Minneapolis trials with public hangings or no justice no peace
This guy gets it. Unless the justice is dispensed severely and publicly, it’ll all just happen again.
The orange cancer won’t be here forever. You commit war crimes, you will find yourself on a very unpleasant trial.
Grow some fucking spines. You commit these war crimes on the demand of a pedophile rapist felon, then you deserve the same fate. You will be a disgrace, a pariah.
How is this a dilemma for the US military? They are going full on war crimes, who’s gonna held them accountable anyway?
Polio needs to catch up in that shithole… Polio or whatever, the US are a threat to the whole world.
Everyone with a functioning brain-cell knows that Trump is going to throw kegsbreath under the bus to save himself, and I for one can’t wait to see his smug slick backed face hung for war crimes.
Hanged. Ain’t no way this textbook case of overcompensating masculine fragility is hung, lbr.
