War Crimes and Politics: The Nuremberg example

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

I do not intend to take any side here, just throw out some background for thinking about some of the issues we face today.

Right after WWII we had a flurry of trials and executed some nazis.

But the looming cold war proved a more immediate political reality than after-the-fact justice. We needed West Germany on our side. A lot of Germans didn't like the Nuremberg trials. So we turned the Nuremberg trials into something like traffic court. Important planners of the holocaust got five years in jail. Many more prosecutions were quietly shelved.

In 1960s Germany you could eat at restaurants owned by, or have your taxes prepared by, participants in the Wannsee Conference.

[atreides1]

1. Some differences

1. This isn't Germany.
2. We are not on the losing end of a World War.
3. Only the Republican sheep don't want prosecution of suspected war criminals.
4. There is no "Cold War" to be concerned about.

If anyone can add on to this list please do so.

[cali]

2. uh

no, we're not Germany. We're not a state reduced to rubble and controlled by other powerful states.

where's the evidence that only a minority doesn't support prosecution of bushco?

There may be no cold war but there sure as shit are issues as pressing.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Of course they're not equivalent

Just tossing out a famous example of war crimes being swept under the rug for immediate political considerations.

I can argue either side of the de-fanging Nuremberg issue. It's complex.

And I could use the example to argue for or against prosecuting Bush.

It's an intriguing historical example that doesn't offer a clear-cut argument for either side.

[fasttense]

4. After WWII, it was a foreign power coming in cleaning up Germany's mess.

WWII itself could even be looked as the world coming in and cleaning up what Germany should never have allowed its government to do in the 1st place. I guess we could wait for France or Germany to do the same for America.

[90-percent]

5. the future

No prosecution insures future generations will be subject to some fascist psycho that may not be as benevolent as GWB.

We screwing over young people with global warming, why not screw them over by doing nothing to prosecute GWB, thus insuring an even worse President can do even more damage in the future.

We currently living really seem to hate the unborn, don't we? Because we sure are wrecking everything on them before they're even born!

-90% jimmy

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. ...

[leftstreet]

7. Take the Politics out of the War Crimes

The Bush Administration committed War Crimes.

The voters have repudiated that regime, and the Republicans are no longer in power.

What part of this don't people understand?

:shrug: