Intolerable descent into lynch law

THE rule of international law is rapidly giving way to a type of international lynch law.

The United Nations, inadequate by design, is the only authorised custodian of international law and international peace and security.

The solution for the inadequacies of the UN is to reform or transform the UN, not to destroy it.

The Kosovo war in 1999 was the first in the recent serious breaches of international law, involving unauthorised use of military force. It was partly contrived as a means of justifying the continuation of NATO beyond its sell-by date, when the primary need for NATO expired in 1989.

When the US was attacked in September 2001, George Bush announced that he was “going to get them, dead or alive”, and proceeded to launch a war against Afghanistan, without UN approval, that has so far killed about 30,000 people.

Iraq came next, with no connection to the attacks on the US, but with some scores to settle on behalf of Bush’s father’s previous Gulf war. The Iraq war was in clear breach of the spirit and virtually every letter of the UN Charter and 660,000 dead so far.

Now, the US air force has launched attacks against targets in Somalia, allegedly killing some terrorists but also killing dozens of civilians including several children.

Lynch law, once let loose, is difficult to restrain, as was discovered in the US wild west, where it took hold around the time of the genocide of the indigenous people of that continent.

For geographical reasons, Ireland probably played no direct part in these latest attacks on Somalia, but US military use of Shannon airport is on the increase again, with at least three US warplanes logged at Shannon last Sunday.

The ‘surge’ promised by Bush for Iraq has already begun.

Lynch law rules — not OK.

Edward Horgan

Newtown

Castletroy

Limerick