Diplomacy By Tribunal

The fallout from the latest WikiLeaks monster dump includes a shot of growth hormone for one of the most disturbing recent trends in the conduct of foreign relations.  That new, dark development is an increasing reliance upon investigations conducted by tribunals operating under some sort of mandate from the UN or a subsidiary organization of the Really Big Folly By The Hudson.

The use of these tribunals, exemplified by the UN created travesty which goes by the name of the Goldstone Panel, is being expanded.  An excellent example of this mission creep is found in the call for a special "study" of the ethics, legality, and general humanitarian propriety of the employment of unmanned lethal systems typified by the US operated Predator and Reaper UAVs.  The long term goal of the "study" called for by the UNs new Special Rapporteur on Extrajudical Executions is the outlawing of these systems by international convention.  In this, the new guy, Christof Heyns, hopes to further the campaign of demonization started by his predecessor, Phillip Alston.

Mr Alston saw the use of Predators and Reapers as being especially vile as they operated at a remove from the immediate combat zone and, worse, did not put the operators at any physical risk.  The fact that the opposition command structure sought immunity from the consequences of its own actions by locating itself within the civilian population in a third country in no way bothered either Mr Alston or Mr Heyns.  Neither worthy were concerned about the cavalier attitude held by the senior leadership of al-Qaeda, Taliban, or other similar groups toward the local non-combatants among whom they sheltered.

Heyns no more than Alston worried in the slightest that the unmanned systems were actually more accurate in their targeting than would be the case with manned platforms.  Apparently, each man was most disturbed by the technological asymmetry favoring advanced countries such as the US and, horrors!, Israel.

The very success of the unmanned platform operations against leaders of groups practicing violent political Islam has built a momentum against the continued use of these systems.  One can be sure that the call for a "study" will be strongly supported by states which facilitate and support the operations of groups pursuing violent political Islam.  It is equally probable that states lacking equivalent technology but harboring deep hostility against the US and other Western countries will do the same.  It is almost as likely that Great Powers such as Russia and China will support the "study" since their efforts in the unmanned systems would be exempt from any proposed restrictions.

In short, the "study" demand is an excellent example of the conduct of diplomacy, the search to advance one's own interests at the expense of the interests of others using a modification of the "tribunal" method.  Since the notion of "arms limitation" has an appeal to people on the Left of the political spectrum and, since the object of the "limitation" is the US or other equally easy to demonize states, the approval for the "study" will be loud within the Left leaning elites of the US and Western Europe.

The same elites will loudly back the demands for investigations of the abuses committed by sectors of the Iraqi security forces set forth in some of the documents in the WikiLeaks dump.  Of necessity, the investigations will focus on the US for alleged sins of omission as well as Iraq for sins of commission.  In the eyes of some, including UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the actions or inactions of both the US and the UK in Iraq merit probing.

The UN and its subsidiary Human Rights Council have already called for investigation.  There is a good chance that Iran will seek to tag its search for a UN investigation of purported US government involvement in the events of 9/11 onto any review of American culpability for alleged war crimes or human rights abuses committed by Iraqi security forces.  Admittedly, there is no logical let alone direct link between the two universes, but that sort of mundane consideration is of little merit in the UN.

The WikiLeaks "revelations" are likely to reinvigorate the search for "justice" by Turkey and its associates regarding the Israeli assault on the Mazi Marmora.  The whatever-we-can-do-for-the-Palestinians crew will barnacle their cause to any inquiry into alleged Iraqi abuses.  The new narrative will emphasize the unity between the US and its actions in Iraq and Israel and its actions vis a vis the West Bank and Gaza.

When night falls, the conclusion will be that the US turns a blind eye to the inhumane and inhuman acts of both its Iraqi and Israeli clients.  The US will be branded as the facilitator of crimes against humanity in both Iraq and the Mideast.  It will take only a very small slide down this very slippery slope to conclude the US not only facilitates and protects but also directly engages in the most vile abuses of human rights.

The goal of the narrative as well as the "studies" and "investigations" and "tribunals" on both the input and output end will be the global reduction of US influence by a consistent message of American indifference to human rights or the ethical conduct of military operations.  Truth is not a consideration.  Neither is that mythical beast, "justice."  All that is important is the diminishing of American influence, American ability or will to play a major role in international politics.

Because "tribunals," "studies," and "investigations" seem to reek of an even handed pursuit of truth, they will gain both support and acceptance within the US and the West generally.  The conclusions, no matter how unjustified or unjustifiable, will be warmly embraced by significant segments of the American and Western European population--the blame-America-first bunch.

It is this built in potential for support and acceptance which gives the new approach in diplomacy its appeal,  It is what makes it so dangerous to the interests of the US and other civilized countries.  The use of mechanisms which represent themselves to be detached, impartial, disinterested, which present themselves as judicial, uses the Western love of justice as a sovereign weapon against the West.

The enemies of civilization be they practitioners of violent political Islam, members of the profoundly alienated, self-hating Left of the West, or simply governments skilled in the pursuit of national interests have developed a new and powerful form of diplomacy.  It is a form which uses the strengths of civilized states against them.  It is a form of diplomacy for which we are poorly prepared to engage.  It is a form of diplomacy which may well lubricate the skids to Western impotence.

WikiLeaks and the MSM have given the users of this new form of diplomacy a new venue in which to operate.  WikiLeaks and the MSM have provided the enemies of civilization with a new set of tools to use against us.

The founder of WikiLeaks said "it is all about the truth."  He is wrong.  It is all about defeating the West and all it stands for.

Julian Assange has done a good job of work for whoever is paying his bills.  The paymasters have chosen well.  They got more than their money's worth.