Like? Is anyone who starts a war a “war criminal” now?

If it’s because Russia’s killed civilians (whether intentionally or just because they didn’t care enough in pursuit of their military objectives), then, like, isn’t basically every Western leader + Biden a “war criminal”? How would you ever create a standard that could include him but not others?

And if they are all “war criminals” then why would you support one over the other? I don’t get this conversation.

And even if you had to, like, in what world would it make sense to think that Putin is worse than Netanyahu or the Western leaders who arm and support him?

61 points

There’s not even a shred of logic involved. It’s literally just

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47 points

in absolutely no way is he worse than Netanyahu or western leaders, but initating a war of invasion (even when provoked by encirclement) is a pretty by-the-books war crime

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40 points

Not saying this is in any way comparable to the current state of affairs, but it’s very easy to support one side in a war in which they’re both war criminals. Just because both sides are doing things defined as war crimes doesn’t make their goals unjust.

Like the Allies in WW2, the Red Army in the Russian Civil War, the Vietcong in Vietnam, etc.

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The allies were absolutely unjust. They were defending the genocidal British empire. Then they were doing colonialism in west, middle, and east Asia. West Asia here being the backwater European peninsula where the allies took land from displaced jews and gave it to German people. They were a rogue faction using weapons of mass destruction to ensure favorable trade positions post war.

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19 points

Allies includes the Red Army, remember

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11 points

…and Chinese communists, the Chinese Nationalists, the precursors to the NVA and Vietcong, Mexico, the Korean resistance, the Filipino resistance, Brazil, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Haiti, etc.

It’s a blind spot in people’s understanding of WWII. The Allies was more than just France, the US, UK, and USSR. It included dozens of countries across the world, especially in Asia where the war started.

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4 points

Shit you got me.

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19 points

Killing Nazis is an unalloyed good.

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9 points

Yeah, did we do that or did we just hire them to run nato?

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1 point
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The difference between a war criminal and a strong leader, in the eyes of the US political leadership, is only the difference between disobedience and obedience to American government policy. And American government policy is set by Wall Street.

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Yes, they are all war criminals

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