Another elementary point of logic is that disregarding or holding international law in contempt hardly helps to ensure that others will live up to their treaty obligations or, in the case of individuals or groups not party to any body of international law, to ensure that the moral and legal principles espoused therein will be honored. Violence begets violence. Behaving lawlessly and with impunity breeds anger, despair, and hatred. This is well recognized, certainly no great secret; and when official enemies behave lawlessly, we rightfully condemn them for it. But our response is quite different when it's we who behave in a similar or worse manner.
There are a great number of possible steps that could be taken to help mitigate the threat of terrorism in the world today. Choosing to do so would be a good alternative to the course so commonly plotted by U.S. policy makers.
__________
[1] Karen DeYoung, "Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight," The Washington Post, September 24, 2006; A01
[2] Noam Chomsky, "The New Military Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo" (Common Courage Press, Monroe, ME 1999)
[3] United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, August 11, 2006
[4] Robert F. Worth, "Villagers See Violations of a Cease-Fire That Israel Says Doesn't Exist," The New York Times, September 1, 2006
[5] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Press Briefing, July 21, 2006
[6] United Nations Press Release, July 13, 2006
[7] "Israeli air strike kills UN observers," Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 26, 2006
[8] "Security Council struggles over statement on observer deaths," Agence-France Presse, July 27, 2006
[9] "The government is losing its reason," Editorial, Ha'aretz, July 8, 2006
[10] "Lebanon civilian deaths morally not same as 'terror victims'-Bolton," Agence France Presse, July 17, 2006
[11] "Lebanon Crisis 2006 Flash Appeal," World Health Organization, July 28, 2006
[12] "42 Palestinians and 3 Israelis killed in June," Press Release, B'Tselem, July 2, 2006
[13] "Israel: Gaza Beach Investigation Ignores Evidence," Human Rights Watch, June 20, 2006
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Jeremy R. Hammond is the owner, editor, and principle writer for Foreign Policy Journal, a website dedicated to providing news, critical analysis, and commentary on U.S. foreign policy, particularly with regard to the "war on terrorism" and events (
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