US Senator Finds War Crime... Outside Familiar Geographies
Senator Chris Van Hollen is making news for declaring a U.S. strike in the Caribbean a 'possible war crime.' This newfound vigilance for human rights is certainly, shall we say, geographically specific. It’s a remarkable pivot for a politician who, according to OpenSecrets, received $27,000 from AIPAC in the last election cycle, a lobbying group infamously silent—or worse, actively dismissive—on
accusations of war crimes committed with US-supplied weaponry. One might ask: is a 'possible war crime' a 'war crime' if it’s committed by an allied nation? Will Senator Van Hollen be demanding investigations into HR 815, the recent bill he voted for, which sent billions in unrestricted military aid to a government currently facing genocide allegations in international courts? Or does 'possible
war crime' only apply when it's politically safe, far from the well-oiled machinery of Washington's foreign policy consensus?