All Questions
Tagged with armed-conflict war-crime
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30
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Why isn't any unprovoked act of aggression considered a war crime?
I'm struggling to understand the notion of "war crimes". It refers to acts within the context of a war that are considered especially heinous and outside the normal parameters of armed ...
18
votes
4
answers
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Can war crimes ever be justified as self-defense?
This question is not related to any ongoing event, but, rather, is a hypothetical scenario.
Suppose country X invades country Y. While country X possess much advantage in power and dominance over ...
15
votes
2
answers
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Did the USA ever officially apologize for shooting down "Iran Air Flight 655" in 3 July of 1988?
Iran Air Flight 655 was a civilian jet airliner shot down by U.S. missiles on 3 July 1988 as it flew over the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the Iran–Iraq War. 290 innocent civilians (252 Iranians ...
15
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1
answer
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Has any relevant American politician ever publicly admitted that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a lie?
During an interview (video here) celebrity and former Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura said that "they" were admitting that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a lie.
There are somewhat credible ...
11
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2
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What's the largest death by starvation (estimate) count during a siege in the past 30 years, and what level of condemnation did it receive?
I was able to find out that e.g. during the 2016 siege of Fallujah, which was occupied by ISIS at the time, around 140 civilians starved. The estimate given by Wikipedia seems to come from HRW (which ...
9
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3
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Is there a plausible military purpose for the recent use of white phosphorus in Gaza?
news agencies and human rights groups have suggested Israel may have used white phosophorus in Gaza last week (the week starting Oct 8):
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-...
9
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3
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901
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Why would countries attack civilian facilities like hospitals during war?
Very recently, on 8th March 2022, Russia allegedly has bombed a Ukrainian children’s hospital in Mariupol, as reported by among others CNN and BBC.
There have been similar incidents in the past: USA ...
8
votes
2
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Is it illegal for Russia to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy?
There are some actions in war that are designated as war crimes, such as targeting civilians, torture, and systematic sexual violence or enslavement. Some of these actions hinge on the definition of &...
8
votes
1
answer
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What are the safeguards, set by the US military, to reduce the risk of committing war crimes?
I am talking here about war crimes committed by individuals or units (i.e., not representing a deliberate government/military policy), such as, e.g., the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam war. One ...
4
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4
answers
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Reasons for high number of casualties in 2023 Israel-Hamas war
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war results in a much higher number of Palestinian casualties than previous conflicts: nearly 19,000 Palestinians are killed (according to the Hamas run Gaza Health Ministry), ...
2
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3
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Is destroying civilian infrastructure to create a "buffer zone" a war crime?
Recently, over 20 Israeli soldiers died in Gaza while they were destroying civilian infrastructure and residential areas with the intention of creating a "buffer zone" in Gaza, ostensibly to ...
2
votes
1
answer
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Chilcot Report did not express a view on whether the invasion was legal. Which forum is responsible for it?
The Iraq inquiry finally gave it's report; Chilcot Report. While the legal basis for the war was "far from satisfactory," the inquiry did not express a view on whether the invasion was legal, Chilcot ...
1
vote
1
answer
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Does international law hold an Army accountable for killings done by other groups during a military attack?
Consider a situation where a country is partially occupied by another. An army unit strikes across a border town of the occupying force. Their military objective is to destroy an enemy defensive unit, ...
1
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1
answer
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Can Chilcot Report be used to prosecute Tony Blair?
Yesterday, The Iraq inquiry finally gave its report which is widely known as Chilcot Report. In this Report, the inquiry concluded:
Saddam Regime did not pose a threat to British interests
The ...
-1
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1
answer
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If Russia drops a nuclear bomb, is it realistically possible to prevent neutralize it without getting serious damage? [closed]
By "serious damage" I mean any kind of severe environmental damage and/or damage to the people health/life. I understand that there's a tiny probability for that to happen, but just in case, ...