Thursday, December 14, 2006
Suing Iran: The joys of vexatious litigation
I am not a big fan of international "human rights" litigation, which in recent years has become a tool of left-wing groups that want to circumscribe American power -- using German courts to sue Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes, and such. However, much as I deplore litigation as a diplomatic or political device, I can't help but find it hilarious that John Bolton and Alan Dershowitz are teaming up to sue Iran for violation of the 1948 anti-genocide treaty. As I wrote yesterday, Ahmadinejad's repeated statements that Israel will "be wiped from the map" or "disappear" may be read as either predictions or promises. The press and the Western chattering classes intently characterize them as the former, but what actually is the basis for concluding that they are not promises or even a call to arms? The world is entitled to know the answer to that question, and should call upon the Islamic Republic to explain itself.
CWCID: Pamela.
4 Comments:
By 
Dan Trabue, at
Thu Dec 14, 10:00:00 AM:
Well, here I can join you in praising John Bolton for using reasonable means of peacemaking. This is exactly the sort of approach we ought to be pursuing more often.
International justice may be messy and difficult, but it is necessary and preferable to using war in an every-nation-for-themselves free for all.
By skipsailing, at
Thu Dec 14, 12:41:00 PM:
the approach will make the ineffectual among us "feel good" but it will do NOTHING to modify Iran's behavior.
Recently Argentina issued an arrest warrant for Rafsanjani. Did he turn himself in? Are there Aregentine cops in Teheran staging a manhunt to find him? It is to laugh.
for those who value symbol over substance, this is a great story. For those who see Iran as a growing threat which cares less every day for the sniveling of the "international community" this is just a huge yawn.
Frankly, I'm still waiting for the "terror is a police matter" dweebs to explain how the Argentine jews who lost loved ones in Hezbullah's attack will ever see justice.
By William, at
Thu Dec 14, 04:56:00 PM:
Agreed. State-sponsored-terror certainly is not a police matter.
But whether or not there is a conviction is not the core point. The core point is that, in defending himself, Ahmadinejad will have to clarify whether he is predicting the demise of Israel or promising it.
If the former, he will lose teeth amongst his radical buddies. If the latter, his cause will become considerably more difficult to defend in the international arena. And that will be bad news for China and Russia.
By 
, at
Sun Dec 17, 03:14:00 PM:
And while their at it lets SUE CUBA for its shootdown of the two aircraft of BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE and lets SUE MEXICO FOR PRINTING THOSE COMICS SHOWING THE ILLEGALS HOW TO SNEAK INTO AMERICA lets SUE NORTH KOREA for the USS PUEBLO incedent
