This is a take I don’t understand, and I’m only commenting because I’ve seen your comments around, quite enjoyed some of them, and I think you’re not stupid, so I’m going to ask: Why should those with less power be beholden to the same moral standard as those with more power? In armed conflict, shouldn’t the side with less power be held at most to the same standard as the side with more power? One side has few options and the other side has lots of options.
It’s like if you get mugged by a pro boxer (bear with me on this analogy), should you only punch him, and only above the waist, in order to defend yourself? Or can you poke his eyes and kick him in the nuts, or even draw a weapon? My opinion is that you have the right to do whatever you have to do to get out alive. Houthis have far less money and power than Israel, so why should the same moral yard stick be applied to them as to Israel, when their options are far more limited?
We must condemn all war crimes. That shouldn’t be a controversial statement.
Its one thing for a guerilla army to have shitty homemade rockets that misfire and accidentally kill civilians. Its another thing to intentionally block shipments of food and medicines. Or intentionally target a hospital.
Thanks for your response.
So is the short answer “yes” about holding both sides of a conflict to the same moral standard, regardless of each side’s power and viable options?
Less accurate analogy, but you get the idea: if you kill your pro boxer mugger, it’s self defence, but you’ll have committed murder. War crimes kind of define the minimum “moral standard” that can’t be crossed, even if you’re trying to define some sort of moral standard weighed by power. Seems a bit delusional to try and quantify stuff like this to me though.
Yes, both sides should be sent to the ICC for justice and given a sentence that is proportionate to the amount and severity of the crimes they committed.
