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>I know the US has played fast and loose with the Geneva Conventions for a long time now How is this playing fast and loose with the Geneva Conventions?

• md_ 5y ago
  Not sure what OP meant, but from what I understand (which is very little) the Geneva Conventions forbid "perfidy", which includes "feigning civilian, non-combatant status". See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidy. I don't know enough about the laws of war to understand how that relates non-combat roles (is it OK to dress as a civilian for surveillance? presumably?), which I think is most of what this article was about, however.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • mattkrause 5y ago
    The next part of Article 37, also quoted in the article, contrasts (which is forbidden) perfidy with permissible ruses of war. It’s a very blurry line, but actual combat seems to be one major distinction. Disguising a battleship as an enemy or merchant vessel seems to be okay...as long as the disguise is dropped before engaging. However, marking it as a hospital ship seems right out regardless of the situation because the hospital emblem is specially protected because those ships are never supposed to be attacked. This database has many countries’ interpretation of the differences: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule57 https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul...
    • md_ 5y ago
      Thanks, super interesting.