Hayyan Salim Haidar :Did you say ‘war criminal

• Hayyan Salim Haidar

Did you say ‘war criminal

• Source: Al Mayadeen Net

•  Citing Biden’s name-calling of Putin a “war criminal”, the author asks, “Can you label Tony Blair as a “war criminal”? Judge Chilcott tried and failed and the “world” was unresponsive 

Did you say “war criminal”? OK then

Wars have existed, ever since the dawn of humanity. And so have criminals, of all kinds, purposes, and deeds. “War criminals” is a “younger” expression used mainly after the “war criminals” of the last century, of the “West’s” launched WWI and WWII where millions perished or were killed, maimed, genocided, forcibly deported, made refugees… etc. The term started being used with the formation of countries, nations-countries, and states of all kinds, shapes, and functions, mainly forcibly merged here or partitioned there, and invariably beyond the wants of the concerned people

“War criminals” were “branded”, especially after Nuremberg; remember the “humane” Nuremberg? That special Court which catalyzed the “western democracies” hegemony over the world, those very perpetrators of invasions, wars, slavery, and colonialism to become imperialism? The same “powers” wreaked havoc on Mother Earth (what a motherly word to use here) for four or five consecutive centuries, on all continents, old and new, or the not discovered yet, Europe and Asia first, then America and on to Oceania, Antarctica and beyond.

Beyond Arctica is space, may God Almighty keep it safe and far away from those “war criminals

Let us define (or is it: redefine) what “war criminal” means. What are the principal elements of description that apply here

What acts, stands and positions, rules, invasion, unwanted (unwarranted) wars, “scope” and types of killings are perpetrated

Back to Earth. Back to the “wretched of the Earth.”  Back to the much-depleted human rights slogan, we ask

Is there any possibility that any Zionist or Israeli, either of them, just one, from the “infamous” Etzel (Irgun Tzva’i Leumi), Stern, or “Haganah”, the very many name-it murderous “organizations” (not the correct term to be used in this context), can any one of those be labeled as “war criminal” in spite of their unending well-documented horror doings?

From the “founder” Herzl to the criminal Nobel laureate Menachem Begin passing through Golda Meyer, Mosher Dayan, Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin, and so on: Can any of those be called a war criminal? (excuse me for the list that never ends but the letters of alphabets of the world would not contend with names that are worthy of being registered in the annals of the “History of Criminality”).

As an example, remember Judge Goldstone or his report on the war on Gaza? Could anyone of those mentioned therein be sued, pursued, or condemned like their victims [the Paletinians] who are persecuted on a daily basis, or at least fear being prosecuted under the various “Western” anti-Semitic and the like laws and sanctions? This is no space for a feeling of guilt on behalf of the West’s horror wars in Europe during WWII and the whole world; this is a plain new tool of coercion, of colonization, of slavery in its new “brand” garment

The world has had enough of your supremacists’ double standards. As for slavery and apartheid in Africa, “the rest of the world”, the non-west world, i.e. 90% of the world population is against and condemns slavery and apartheid in Palestine or anywhere else

Mr. Biden crying “war criminal” at Mr. Putin without even Blinken (or should it read blinkin’?) does not work anymore. The “West” has been using the game of “crying wolf” so often, for so long, for so wrong, that “the rest of the world” has gone “blasé”, in well-expressed French, “blasé”, careless, reaction-less, emotionless, not-to-be-fooled-anymore. You have opened the gates of hell in so many places, so many times, for so many people, for no good reasons, that “Les Misérables” of the world do not care to follow your lamenting anymore. This is called a credibility gap. Will you fill it? Can you still fill it

For centuries, the “West” has worked to “kill”, alongside other killings, that human humane feeling

Back to the world. Can you label Tony Blair as a “war criminal”? Can you? Judge Chilcott tried and failed, and the “world” was unresponsive. More spiteful, the official response was to “knight” Blair. What a world full of shame. And if Blair is a “war criminal”, which he surely is, then who are his masters: Bush, Cheney, Condi (what a charming name), the without “Raison d’être”- NATO and the rest

Not to forget Madeleine Albright who, when asked (“live”) whether the death, in fact, murder it was, of half a million Iraqi children was worth that war (to remind you of the first war on Iraq) she answered, yes, it was “well” worth that (criminal) war. And this is the answer of a mother, repeat a mother. No wonder some call such misdeeds the Mother of Wars and the Mother of Battles

As for Colin Powell, that “tool of lies”, the “black” supremacist-wanting-to-be-but-never-will. Is he any better than the other Powell, Enoch, that straightforward “white” English racist politician of the 60s? And to be fair, Mr. Biden, “the rest of the world” is also full of similar, but not such, criminals. But then they were and still are limited in action, time, geography, and effects on demography.  Nothing like your Western Powers “taking care”, all the Time, of all the people, all over the World, for all Kinds of Reasons or no reasons, for Greed and Cheat. For more information and to refresh your memories, kindly ask the “Residents” of Gitmo, Bagram and Abu Ghraib and the other secret “places” all over, ask the “Last of the Mohicans”, and certainly ask Julian Assange, kindly please do

But then, this is a different world. A pragmatic world where one president calls his enemy president a “war criminal” while their two personal National Security advisors meet and discuss settling matters

Really, we do not understand “this” world anymore. We have become old-fashioned, obsolete, “romantic” people as per the new “diplomatic” rhetoric.

The Biden “war criminal” declaration came directly after another comedian-turned-tragedian President, Zelensky, addressed Congress (he later indulged in another yet parroted “war criminal” declaration)

And we wonder, is this the same Congress that gave the Israeli “war criminal” Prime Minister 22 standing ovations during the all-time master of “war criminals” Bush era

What a small and poor tool to spite the enemy with

Mr. President, just for your information

To invade another country and kill its people on the basis of lies or a false flag operation (with) or without an international warrant is a “war crime”

to destroy its towns, hospitals, schools houses, and infrastructure is a “war crime

to burn that country’s crops to induce famine amongst its population is a “war crime

to steal its riches of oil, gas, minerals, and antiques is a “war crime

to install covert “containment facilities” where all kinds of atrocities are secretly or overtly performed on the indigenous (or even the geniuses) is a “war crime

to kill the “brains”, scientists, and intelligentsia of the invaded country is a “war crime”

to install “special international courts” for “selected” cases, for “selected” leaders, for “chosen” evil aims is a “war crime”. Ask Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sudan, and many others

to execute “coups d’Etats”, “arrange” for assassinations and forcibly change regimes at your will and against people’s will is a “war crime”

to close borders, media, travel, access to information, etc… is a “war crime

to segregate people and refugees on the “basis” (not a suitable word here) of a “catalog of colors”, creed, ethnicity, or language is a “war crime”

to “drone” whole populations into “collateral damage” is a “war crime

to kill your “allies” with “friendly fire” is a “war crime

to install secret, or overt, bio-chemical laboratories, let alone nuclear “facilities”, all over the world without the knowledge or consent of the concerned people is a “war crime”

and last but not least, to use the Dollar as a WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction) is very much a “war crime” of genocidal magnitude

Mr. President, shall I go on? Or have you grown bored

I understand from the above that your enemy (or is it enemies) has (have) a long long way to go before equalizing with your “Western” crimes, but, still, they are trying hard to become like you

War criminals. Kindly inform us, do you have an answer? Why do all wars since WWI find ready money for the military, to name a few in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya …and right …to Ukraine, and never any funding for development projects or for the welfare of the people in the targeted countries of the “dark-skinned”? Is there no need to secure world stability there? No answer?

Finally, because we have to wrap up, let us make a deal: Dear “West”, if you stop telling lies about us, we will stop telling the truth about you. Deal?

While looking, invariably, to seeing more of you at your next lie

Hayyan Salim Haidar.                                                         Lebanon, the World, 22nd March 2022.