Lawry,
> I do agree with you that apology for crimes would make the US
> (and any other country) a better place. The precedent is there...
Indeed. Let me say that probably there is no culture or ideology or religion without sin. Or, as Someone said a long time ago, no man is without sin. We Italians have committed ancient crimes (the Church) and recent crimes (fascism). I don't feel absolutely personally guilty for them (for obvious age reasons), nevertheless it is IMO also obvious that Italy as nation has the moral duty to keep alive the memory of all that in order to avoid that someone will repeat it. Especially for fascism, while the Church is another story: please note that actually Italy is not the "nation of the Pope", both politically and substantially. We're a laical country, with many coexisting religions... and sometimes we have quarrels with the Vatican City.
The apologies of the Pope you mention (for all the crimes committed in the name of the Christian God) have been a courageous act. I do believe they are on late and insufficient... but also that they contribute to make Catholicism a better religion.
I agree with you that we need an international jurisdiction. It would be IMO a good counterpart to the other incoming globalizations: one market, one army .... Sadly, among the western nations it seems that the USA is the only one against it. This is another point for those arguing that Americans have too many things to hide....
Ciao,
Marco
Lawrence wrote:
Alas, Marco, to that list we can add many more, such as Guatemala, where US
policies led to the killing of some 120,000 Mayans and the displacement into
conditions of virtual labor slavery of many more in the southern coffee
lands.
The US has had some terrible political appointees leading our policy toward
South and Central America in recent years, and with Bush in, a couple of
them are back in.
Clinton did apologize for the Guatemalan tragedy, and there is hope in the
current elections there.
Would that these apologies, including those of the Pope, were backed by a
compensation policy, even if only a nominal one.
A positive prospect on the horizon is the growing legal doctrine of
universal jurisdiction: war criminals can be brought to justice outside
their countries. This is the doctrine under which Serb and Rwandan war
criminals are currently being tried. Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of
State, has been mentioned as a potential war criminal, and the French
government tried to question him about the accusations while Kissinger was
last in Paris. Upon receiving the summons, Kissinger immediately left his
hotel and the country, but I believe the summons are still in effect.
I do agree with you that apology for crimes would make the US (and any other
country) a better place. The precedent is there...
Lawry
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