Tillerson to Shutter State Department War Crimes Office
Source: foreignpolicy.com
Critics charge top U.S. diplomat with giving the green light to perpetrators of mass atrocities.
By Colum Lynch
July 17, 2017
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is downgrading the U.S. campaign against mass atrocities, shuttering the Foggy Bottom office that worked for two decades to hold war criminals accountable, according to several former U.S. officials.
Tillersons office recently informed Todd Buchwald, the special coordinator of the Office of Global Criminal Justice, that he is being reassigned to a position in the State Departments office of legal affairs, according to a former U.S. official familiar with the move. Buchwald, a career State Department lawyer, has served in the position since December 2015.
.......................................
The decision to close the office comes at a time when Americas top diplomat has been seeking to reorganize the State Department to concentrate on what he sees as key priorities: pursuing economic opportunities for American businesses and strengthening U.S. military prowess. Those changes are coming at the expense of programs that promote human rights and fight world poverty, which have been targeted for steep budget cuts.
Theres no mistaking it this move will be a huge loss for accountability, said Richard Dicker, the director of Human Rights Watchs international justice program. The war crimes ambassadors organizational independence gave the office much more weight, he added........................................................
Read more: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/17/tillerson-to-shutter-state-department-war-crimes-office/
Here at home, Sessions is locking em up and throwing away the keys and now overseas Tillerson takes the US out of action for any war crimes. Lord, we are so screwed!
Link to tweet
dalton99a
(81,084 posts)sandensea
(21,530 posts)"Sometimes I feel THIS bad about what we did." "That much, huh?"
Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)Paladin
(28,204 posts)iluvtennis
(19,758 posts)chwaliszewski
(1,514 posts)the majority of the politicians and good portion of the population. I think the #1 problem with this country is the short comings of public education is really starting to bear its rotten fruit because there are some stupid motherfathers out there that will either bash Democrats or support Republicans, no matter what the situation. You know it's really getting bad out there when you see election signs along the roads and at intersections that show the candidate's picture, their name and catchy slogan, but no proclamation of party affiliation. I saw four different candidates' signs today at an intersection on my way to work and not one of them said if they were a D or an R. How sad is that?
Man, I hate Trump.
Paladin
(28,204 posts)That's a shameful act, by a shameful administration.
chwaliszewski
(1,514 posts)It's criminal. Rex Tillerson should be locked.
Shell_Seas
(3,319 posts)During the election, how many people were duped by fake news that was easily verifiable false. I have thought that more than once.
Another part of it is money in elections. The sheer amount of cash poured into our politicians is breeding a sector of greed and corruption possibly never seen before in America. It's astounding.
chwaliszewski
(1,514 posts)Unfortunately, greed and corruption are possible when a person's conscience has been deactivated by its owner.
sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)as human entities?
Shell_Seas
(3,319 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)One step at a time.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)CrispyQ
(36,233 posts)Hekate
(90,202 posts)It's just that: we don't have two years left.
Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)And I'm an inspector of elections, so I feel an acute awareness of the clock ticking down.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)See ya 'round
Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)Last edited Tue Jul 18, 2017, 01:56 PM - Edit history (1)
Only thing is I feel myself slip-sliding towards that with each passing day.
It's nearly unbearable. Nearly.
To have consciousness is not quite a plus in these days.
Not that I'd rather be in a state of unconsciousness. But it's so intensive these days, it hurts.
What a way to wreck oneself.
You eat correctly, take supplements, exercise, get enough zzz's, surround yourself with positive reinforcement (zen, spirituality, etc.) and then get subjected to/exposed to this toxicity.
Nice going.
Hi, Lust For Life! 🤗
Peace be unto you,
sprink
Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)I wish I could experience your regimen for sanity, but it's almost as if this toxicity has become second nature to me. And the crazy thing is, I know it's not normal! I keep shouting from the rooftops to anyone with a functioning ear that the Trump administration and the GOP are not normal. They must be discredited and defeated to the point where they won't think about making a comeback for a generation. But until that day, I feel nothing but desperation biting at the edges.
Peace to you, too!
sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)Last edited Tue Jul 18, 2017, 02:13 PM - Edit history (2)
Spray it with anti-despair repellent!
Hang tough, bro!
"I acknowledge all my bros 'and' sistahs as 'bros'! 😎"
🗽
sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)are displaying as #123456 like that??
DU smiles are okay. This just started happening. Bummer.
Help me rhonda.
sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)But I am the devourer of what passes for fascist souls.
sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)Shell_Seas
(3,319 posts)How much will they continue to do, daily?
If Mueller doesn't act fast, we may be looking at a very dystopian future.
Unfortunately, he may not have the ability to act fast and create a waterproof case.
CrispyQ
(36,233 posts)because that's what I read on DU, whenever I express alarm that the investigation isn't progressing fast enough. I hope Mueller's team is working light speed, cuz Trump is taking a wreaking ball to our institutions. At what point do we say, we need to act, NOW!
loveandlight
(207 posts)Nixon was a power hungry bully, but Trump and his admin are much worse. They are carefully dismantling our government and it will take some doing to fix this all if the Democrats can win in 2020. Even if we take back the Congress in some part in 2018, these people will still be in place doing things to wreck the government. It will be long road to get it back, no matter if Trump goes down now or a year from now or not until 2020. If the Repubs get re-elected in 2020, all bets are off I think.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)the purview of the State Department. At least, not in the self-enrichment way this "Administration" plans.
OldRedneck
(1,397 posts)Does this mean Trump is about to allow the Dept of Defense to start committing war crimes and atrocities?
Shell_Seas
(3,319 posts)What's the purpose in this?
Sugar Smack
(18,748 posts)America, first.
Judi Lynn
(160,219 posts)bora13
(860 posts)when no one can.
byronius
(7,369 posts)Clockwork. Next up:
"Solar is dangerous and it has to be stopped."
"Schools are preventing strong kids from helping their families at work."
"Hey, it's not pretty, but it's nature. The strong will always win, and I have to say, nothing is as tasty as fried loser."
"Let the games begin!"
leftyladyfrommo
(18,816 posts)Otis going to take so long to rebuild all if this.
tclambert
(11,080 posts)And Cheney and Rumsfeld?
NCjack
(10,279 posts)sprinkleeninow
(20,136 posts)that if Hillary became Pres, she would've launched World War No. 3.
Ain't it a kick in the head what their golden manchild is about doing.
Old Artillery Man
(7 posts)He wanted it. He campaigned for it. He addressed the congress to get it. He addressed the people of the United States to get it. He sent his Secretary of State to the UN Security Council, with ginned up drawings of so-called mobile labs that were used to make lethal gasses that would kill masses of people.
He ordered the weapons inspectors home because they were not finding anything pertaining to weapons of mass destruction. They were getting to the point of stating that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.
George Bush wanted this war, he worked to get it and it is his and his alone.
Yes, the majority of both houses of the Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, voted for it. They did because they believed what the President told them. After all, would a man, who held the office of the President, lie about something as enormous as a war?
Does anyone believe there would be ISIS in Iraq now if Saddam Hussein were still in power?
And he still walks free.
Rhiannon12866
(203,041 posts)And welcome to DU!
gordianot
(15,226 posts)For the candidate who wanted to bring back water boarding or worse nothing like this would ever happen in a Trump administration or will it be another broken campaign promise?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)george war bush could have prevented all that, not to mention saving the lives of our own guys. That war will hurt us for decades. Sadly, Trump appears worse.
no_hypocrisy
(45,783 posts)to The Hague!