Yanis Varoufakis, Jeremy Corbyn, Malcolm Rifkind, and Bronwen Maddox debate the failures of international law to stop the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond.
Could Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu one day be held accountable for their part in the wars in Ukraine and Palestine? Should the International Criminal Court do more to bring them to justice, or would this be a risky, short-sighted move?
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“In times of war, the law falls silent” declared Cicero. And 2000 years on, it remains unknown whether international law has any real power in war, or whether, in the end, military and economic power are the only ultimately effective forces. International law did not prevent Russia from invading Ukraine, the US from engaging in torture in Guantanamo Bay, Hamas’ attacking Israel on Oct 7th, or Israel from destroying much of Gaza in response. Moreover, Trump appears to have decided that Russia’s military strength in Ukraine is reason to allow it to keep territory. Chairman Mao, it seems, had a point when he said “power grows from the barrel of a gun.”
We recognise war as an exceptional circumstance where acts like murder are permitted, should we give up trying to apply the law to it? With the US, Russia and others breaking international law, should we conclude that international law is unenforceable unless imposed by the victor? Or is international law both necessary and vital to contain the worst atrocities?
#israel #gaza #palestine #putin #netanyahu #war #warinukraine #russia #ukraine #worldwar3
Jeremy Corbyn is a British politician and current independent MP who served as the Labour party’s leader from 2015 to 2020. Bronwen Maddox is the Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House.Yanis Varoufakis is a world-renowned economist, academic, and politician who rose to international prominence in 2015 as Greece’s Minister of Finance. Malcolm Rifkind is a renowned British politician who served in the cabinets of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, most famously in the roles of Foreign and Defence Secretary. Hosted by Mary Ann Sieghart.
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00:00 Introduction
00:18 Does international law have any real power in times of war?
00:27 Jeremy Corbyn on war crimes, the United Nations and, the military industrial complex
02:52 Yanis Varoufakis exposes Western hypocrisy when dealing with Putin and Netanyahu
05:57 Bronwen Maddox analyses the rules of war
09:04 Does the threat of a Nuremberg-style trial affect the leaders of warring nations?
09:23 Malcolm Rifkind on the risk of declaring “war criminals”
10:37 How have Putin and Netanyahu reacted to rulings from the international criminal court?
12:08 The trial of Augusto Pinochet
13:34 Internal and external pressure in Russia and Israel
15:21 Netanyahu wants to “destroy any chances of a two-state solution”
15:50 How can we bring an end to war, genocide, and civilian casualties?
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