h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I disagree with the statement that terrorism can be judged by "rules of war" war is not a game of chess,
there are no rules in war, implying that there are rules means you are trying to make war more humane.
war cannot and should not be humanized. if you humanize war you make it an "ok" thing to do.

I urge you read Sun tzu's book the art of war this clarifys that war is made to devastate, destroy and ultamately annihilate mankind. Terrorsm is one of these forms of war true, but there are no rules when it
comes to war, because war is made to destroy, you cannot put a set of rules on it

There are rules of war. See the Geneva convention. Conventional warfare has to proceed along set lines, otherwise you can be charged with war crimes.

Ste

No matter how hard you try there can be no rules, there is nothing man can do to change this.
The geneva convention merely makes it so "civilized" nations will use rules, Because War is war, you cannot change what it truly is. Sun tzu said: The point of war is to totally devastate the other side

thats true. war is a war.

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The rules of war are not to civilize and make war OK. They are there to protect those who need proctection. War is by no means OK but would you perfer a war without rules? The rules don't make war good but help. I myself am strongly against the war, but still think its fine for the goverment to make rules.

How you protect the innocent is with armies. Not rules.

The *law* is there to protect the innocent. Armies are not policemen or judges or legislative bodies. Unless you happen to find yourself in a nightmare authoritarian dictatorship.

Armies are to protect the inocent? Like the US is doing in Iraq? I don't think so.

You may have misunderstood me. You have armies to protect yourself from other countries.

As Rockster says. There are basically no rules to war. Wars of offence are expensive endeavours promoted by people who want to take something that belongs to someone else.

However, humans are capable of making a set of rules to govern war. To deny this is silly. The Geneva conventions are just such a set of rules. Although they are often presented as a set of humanitarian rules, they do have another function. they protect both sides in a war from some of the worst excesses of that war. parties accept and adhere to these conventions not out of concern for the enemy but to protect their own civilians and soldiers. as long as you play by the rules you can hopefully expect to be protected by those same rules.

The obvious problem with this is that someone may be tempted to cheat. that is, to use the rules when it is to their advantage but to ignore them when it becomes opportune to do so. Like any cheat you can get away with it for a while, but when people cotton on to you, then you lose your protection.

Probably the optimum strategy from a games theory point of view is to observe the rules when it doesn't matter, bend the rules to your advantage when its useful while protesting your innocence, and loudly accuse your opponents of cheating at every opportunity.

Of course I have so far ignored the role of morality in this argument and I would urge Rockster not to ignore it. The Leaders who engage in war often instinctively understand the power of maintaining the moral high ground. It wins you support from Neutrals, motivates your own population and erodes your opponents belief. Not for nothing did Adolf Hitler declare that he had invaded Poland in RESPONSE to unprovoked Polish firing across the border! Believe that if you will!

Depressingly, the current U.S. Administration seems to not understand the power of maintaining the moral high ground, and just what an edge it can give you.

The Nurembourg Principles and the Geneva Convention have both been ground into the dirt by the shamefull actions of the 'Coalition of the Willing' murder and looting are renamed 'defending democracy' we are being herded like sheep by war criminals, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people are renamed 'collateral damage'! The American and British flags are nothing but butchers aprons flown high to strike fear and terror into any who would oppose. I am ashamed to be called British.