Iraq: Americans and British have no defense against war crimes

There are absurd defenses floating around as defenses to war crimes in Iraq.

The law cannot be overlooked, nor can an alliance be the excuse to justify lawlessness.

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It's grown into fashion for some to assert, in the absence of a legal foundation, that it was just the "right thing to do" to invade Iraq.

Small problem: The war remains illegal, devoid of an imminent threat.

The last defense is to say, "We did it because our allies were doing it."

However, this is no defense nor a justification for war.

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If you recall during WWII, the Axis included Italy, Japan, Germany, and others.

Bluntly, because they were working together, it helped to rally the world against them. Also, their common purpose helped to collect evidence of their common purpose.

Those who allied themselves with the Axis were also on the losing side.

Just because a nation joins in an alliance with another, it doesn't mean that they are immune to accountability.

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Today, in the wake of realizing there are no WMD in Iraq, some in the UK would have the world believe that the real reason they joined in the invasion was for one simple thing: To work with an ally.

It is clear there was no imminent threat.

The UN treaty on aggression makes it clear that the General Assembly could hold the British and United States, both holding seats on the UN Security Council, accountable for war crimes.

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The British incorrectly argue that, regardless the legality, the invasion was the right thing to do because they supported their American allies.

Working with an ally, as we saw in WWII, didn't save the Japanese, Italians, or Germans from accountability.

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Where there is no lawful justification for war, the war is illegal, no matter what alliance or country a nation turns to.

The UK can only rely on one argument to defend itself: That it was doing what the United States was doing.

Yet, just as we saw in WWII, a chorus of war criminals cannot sing the right tune to get out of jail.

The Americans and British have no defense to war crimes in Iraq. Their leaders, contractors, military personnel, and supporting civilian populations are liable for supporting violations of the laws of war.

Time to wake up. We're quickly approaching the beginning of the end: Excuses, selective memory, and reliance on false promises.

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The laws of war are to be followed, not ignored or explained away.

Otherwise, we are no better than the ghosts we chase.