The morality of Italian agent killing

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Hi,
Due to Geneva Convention (yes, the convention that most Europeans manage to see that is more important than national security) an occupier is responsible for law & order in the occupied country.

The killing seems to be a result of not handling law & order in a satisfactory matter and is thus by the Geneva Convention US responsibility.

Messing with these principles (like Guantanama) reduces the state to a institution to work in its citizens interest without moral responsibility. This is very dangerous, as Hitler wanted the best for Germans as well.

[BCPVP]

Apparently we don't have enough Italian agent threads...

[Arnfinn Madsen]

The other ones discussing what happened, this one is focusing on US' lame attempts to not take responsibility.

[fluxrad]

[ QUOTE ]
This is very dangerous, as Hitler wanted the best for Germans as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amazing. You managed to start and end the thread in one go.

[trippin bily]

Did the italian car stop at check point?
End of discussion
The italians have stated that the us was not at fault but disagrees with the us version.

[sirio11]

[ QUOTE ]
The other ones discussing what happened, this one is focusing on US' lame attempts to not take responsibility.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it's a shame. But for this administration, looks like it's a virtue not to take responsability of anything. Some posters here even think it's courageous to have such attitude.

[Cyrus]

Stop using battery acid. It was a prank, for pete's sakes!

[ QUOTE ]
The Italians have stated that the US was not at fault.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, that's most definitely what the Report did NOT say.

What the Report DID say was that there was no evidence for a conspiracy. Learn to read text when the high has worn off.

[Cyrus]

1. The stone cold fact of life that, legally, the United States military personnel enjoys practically total immunity in almost all the countries around the world. If, for example, a soldier walks out of his base in Germany and kills two women for fun or whatever reason, he will be legally put on a plane and whisked off to his base in the States to face trial.

2. The people manning the decks in Iraq, from the American side, are not up to the PR job. Yes, it takes more than mere competence, but then Iraq needs more than mere competence. Capable business people will tell you that when a blunder has been committed with repercussions to the outside world (a series of cars were produced with faulty brakes; a spill at a refinery; an employee was arrested for rape; etc) the best, if not the ONLY, way to handle this in public is to come clean and come fully out with everything!

Read the above paragraph again, it's the best lesson both sides can take away from the aftermath of the killing.

Time and again, I have witnessed first-hand how the clean-and-full public posture pays off:

(a) The public trusts you. The loss in the public's fath in your capabilities to maintain a tight ship is balanced by the gain in the public's confidence that you are coming clean if things go wrong.

(b) The public trusts you when you say things the public does not want to hear! If you start by admitting fault, then when you point out the faults of another system (eg the mayor's plans, the legal constrictions), the public will lend its ears.

(c) Most of the truth eventually comes out most of the time, anyway. Fighting a rear-guard action battle is more difficult and far less rewarding than fighting an offensive battle.

(d) You move on to the next phase, without undue damage from the first one. In other words, you come clean and fully out and THEN IMMEDIATELY you lay down what you intend to do about it, so that "it doesn't happen again"!

(e) You pre-empt the opposition. Especially those folks with "bad intentions". This is extremely crucial! If someone denounces your employee's mistake as a mistake of the whole company, your immediate retort is that you already stated as much yourself! And you have committed yourself to improve things, through a specific action plan. Now, what does he have to propose in order to improve things?

--Cyrus

[MMMMMM]

The MAIN THING that should be learnt from this entire unfortunate incident is this:

When in a war zone, don't speed towards military checkpoints, refusing to stop.

Not exactly rocket science, Cyrus.

(By the way, it would also be a good idea to not stand in front of oncoming bulldozers, refusing to move).

[sirio11]

[ QUOTE ]
When in a war zone, don't speed towards military checkpoints, refusing to stop.

Not exactly rocket science, Cyrus.


[/ QUOTE ]

The impressive thing is that of all the options available some people think this is the most plausible. Make me question their logic, their love for truth or both.