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Originally Posted by irateplatypus
war certainly does have rules. it's called the law of armed conflict.
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Absolutely correct.
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there are no rules that are imposed from outside of humanity (unless you are willing to grant the involved presence of God and will count moral structures based on religious convictions) but we do limit ourselves in very meaningful ways in order to align our method with internationally accepted standards.
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Like America's refusal to accept the International Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines?
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rekna, war is not fair... not fair in the sense that each side has equal opportunity to kill the other. it can, however, be fought honorably and lawfully. dropping bombs on an army with no air force isn't fair... but in a conflict between two recognized armies it is honorable.
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You're right. War is not fair. And insurgents don't follow the "rules". They no longer
have a State and therefore cannot, by definition, wear a uniform.
Carbombs are not typically used in conventional warfare; even though Claymores are. One car argue over the distinctions for hours (and I'll keep my personal opinion to myself on this issue), but the fact remains that the war in Iraq is
not a conventional war and therefore conventional norms do not seem to apply.
One cannot expect the insurgents to throw away their arms, shrug their shoulders and say "OK, fair enough. The rules say we can't go on. You beat us fair and square". Modern invasions, occupations and rebellions simply do not work that way.
Mr Mephisto