I managed to amass a pretty good horde of downvotes the other day with a sentiment that mirrored this comic. I probably meandered and missed my meaning but the comic author nails it
You arrest the leader of a belligerent faction by forming an army and defeating their army. Not by knocking on their door and serving papers. The ICC really doesn’t have any purpose except punishing the losers once the war is over. The winners always seem to walk free, no matter what heinous shit they did to get that win.
Play out the game theory of that in your head and think about what effect the threat of war crimes prosecution for losers (only) has on how and when leaders commit war crimes. (Hint: it strongly encourages doing ANYTHING to make sure you win)
It’s a sentiment that feels right but isn’t actually.
The main example being the Yugoslav wars, a lot of conspiracy theorists claim that the Serbians were the only ones who got punished for war crimes but plenty of bozniak and croat militia leaders also ended up being tried and sentenced for their roles in crimes committed during the war.
It does limit travel options. Bibi wouldn’t be able to vacation in France, for example. But yeah, that’s about the only consequence unless Israel decides to rendition him.
I mean the problem is that on an international level might will always make right. You cannot solve that unless you force every human being on earth to submit to some single authority…
So I suppose it will be solved up all nice and tidy if an alien race comes and enslaves us. Until then, we surf the rising and falling waves of human empires just like we have been doing for 10s of 1000s of years.
Making institutions that have “authority” but no power to enforce that authority except against the defeated isn’t really doing anything except encouraging some of humanities worst instincts (revenge, feuding, and making all conflict existential)
If you want to maximize peace and safety for civil populations, you de-escalate conflict by offering face saving off ramps to the belligerents. Affording grace and forgiveness to people who are probably complete shitbags who don’t deserve it. Humanism is hella hard though, I’m not sure we’re up to the challenge.
I managed to amass a pretty good horde of downvotes the other day with a sentiment that mirrored this comic. I probably meandered and missed my meaning but the comic author nails it
You arrest the leader of a belligerent faction by forming an army and defeating their army. Not by knocking on their door and serving papers. The ICC really doesn’t have any purpose except punishing the losers once the war is over. The winners always seem to walk free, no matter what heinous shit they did to get that win.
Play out the game theory of that in your head and think about what effect the threat of war crimes prosecution for losers (only) has on how and when leaders commit war crimes. (Hint: it strongly encourages doing ANYTHING to make sure you win)
It’s a sentiment that feels right but isn’t actually.
The main example being the Yugoslav wars, a lot of conspiracy theorists claim that the Serbians were the only ones who got punished for war crimes but plenty of bozniak and croat militia leaders also ended up being tried and sentenced for their roles in crimes committed during the war.
It does limit travel options. Bibi wouldn’t be able to vacation in France, for example. But yeah, that’s about the only consequence unless Israel decides to rendition him.
Do you have a suggested solution?
I mean the problem is that on an international level might will always make right. You cannot solve that unless you force every human being on earth to submit to some single authority…
So I suppose it will be solved up all nice and tidy if an alien race comes and enslaves us. Until then, we surf the rising and falling waves of human empires just like we have been doing for 10s of 1000s of years.
Making institutions that have “authority” but no power to enforce that authority except against the defeated isn’t really doing anything except encouraging some of humanities worst instincts (revenge, feuding, and making all conflict existential)
If you want to maximize peace and safety for civil populations, you de-escalate conflict by offering face saving off ramps to the belligerents. Affording grace and forgiveness to people who are probably complete shitbags who don’t deserve it. Humanism is hella hard though, I’m not sure we’re up to the challenge.