Hat tip to WoTR for this lengthy commentary by Professor Anthony King (whose name has appeared before on SWC IIRC) following the appeal court's decision last week and the likely release of Marine 'A'. As reported by the BBC:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39417239
He concludes:Link:https://warontherocks.com/2017/04/th...r-of-marine-a/Legality is not only important for the armed forces. It is also vital for individual soldiers themselves. Since the 9/11 attacks, Western forces have been asked to fight in difficult and dangerous conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no sign of these kinds of wars ending anytime soon. Often the strategic objectives and even the jus ad bellum (just cause for going to war) of these missions are not entirely clear. They are complex, confusing campaigns in which the chance of harming civilians is high. Consequently, it is even more imperative that soldiers are convinced that whatever the strategic uncertainties, they are engaged in a just and legitimate activities at their own level. Rules of engagement play an imperative role here in sustaining the professional ethos, reputation, and discipline of Western militaries and their individual personnel. The prosecution of Sgt. Alexander Blackman might be regrettable, but the alternative is unconscionable: It is to condemn Western soldiers once again to the ignominious criminality which were routine in Kenya, Algeria, or Vietnam — and to ignore the rights of victims. Blackman had to be prosecuted so that others could serve with honor.
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