Aftermath of 9/11 Legacy of a moron

Here's something to chew on for a while. (Emphasis added)

Terrorism sows terror, and many States have fallen into a trap set by the terrorists. Ignoring lessons from the past, they have allowed themselves to be rushed into hasty responses, introducing an array of measures which undermine cherished values as well as the international legal framework carefully developed since the Second World War. These measures have resulted in human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearances, secret and arbitrary detentions, and unfair trials. There has been little accountability for these abuses or justice for their victims.

[...]

... the consequences of pursuing counter-terrorism within a war paradigm ...

From something like The Shock Doctrine?

No.

But it does provide more than a modicum of support for Naomi Klein's theory. In fact, it is a vindication.

It is written, not by a novelist or an activist, but by a panel established by the International Commission of Jurists.

You need to read the whole thing, but if you are rushed for time, satisfy yourself with at least chapter three of the report. And if you want just a quick snap, go directly to the Conclusions & Recommendations: war paradigm on page 64 (pdf 77).

H/T matthewgood

Ex-Sandinista voted President of the UN General Assembly

Well, the US never much cared for the UN anyway.

In his inaugural speech, the Rev. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann said member states had to unite against "acts of aggression, such as those occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"The behavior of some member states has caused the United Nations to lose credibility as an organization capable of putting an end to war and eradicating extreme poverty from our planet."

Mr. d’Escoto, an American-born Roman Catholic priest, was Nicaragua’s foreign minister in the left-wing Sandinista administration that ruled Nicaragua from 1979-90. During this time the U.S.-financed Contra rebels killed 40,000 Nicaraguans in their effort to overthrow the Sandinistas. D'Escoto took the US to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for arming Contra rebels and won, a victory the US has never acknowledged.

In a 2004 interview on Democracy Now, d'Escoto called Ronald Reagan an "international outlaw" and "the butcher of my people."
"Because of Reagan and his spiritual heir George W. Bush, the world today is far less safe and secure than it has ever been," he said.

Cross-posted at Creekside