Obama and Charles Taylor

Dear Mr. President,

Does Charles Taylor’s conviction by the ICC of war crimes and crimes against humanity give you pause? “Leadership must be carried out by example, by the prosecution of crimes, not the commission of crimes,” the presiding judge said. That’s something to ponder, Mr. President. You too, refuse to investigate or prosecute the commission of crimes—those of your predecessor and high ranking people in his administration—Cheney, Rumsfeld and the legal team who twisted the law to cover their atrocities. In spite of your refusal to prosecute their violations of international law and human rights, however, the Kuala Lumpur war crimes tribunal convicted them all last week for authorizing torture. Granted, the Kuala Lumpur war crimes tribunal does not have the gravitas of the ICC nor the authority to do anything, but still, it should also catch your attention. You certainly don’t have to worry yet since the ICC is only for losers, those who lose the power and protection of states, and the ICC isn’t about to take on the U.S. of A. Maybe you’ll never be indicted for war crimes, not even by the Kuala Lumpur war crimes tribunal, but who knows? As Rumsfeld famously said, “Stuff happens.” Granted, Taylor’s crimes were on a larger scale than yours—upwards of 50,000 deaths and tens of thousands of mutilations and rapes—but a victim’s a victim and a war crime’s a war crime no matter who commits it and you’ve committed plenty. Ordering extra-judicial assassinations, secondary drone attacks on rescuers, attacks on funeral processions and knowingly ordering the killing of an alleged insurgent when it’s certain non-combatants will also be killed are all war crimes, Mr. President, crimes you were “comfortable” with, “easy calls” you said. No one knows for sure the number of innocents killed or maimed in your illegal covert wars and targeted assassinations—atrocities are rarely counted or recorded—but the numbers aren’t important, it’s the loss of protection by the state that’s important, so for now you’re secure, but there’s always a day of reckoning and things could get sticky if the winds of fate turn against you. You’re definitely on the list of war criminals with Taylor and Bush, and that’s a lifetime achievement award, Mr. President. It never goes away and someone is always watching for a weak spot. Taylor was the first head of state convicted for war crimes since Nuremburg. That’s a good sign for ordinary citizens, not so good for you of the ruling elite.