For the past two days I have had to go to my Aunt's court to view the hearings that are going on, because I have to write a report on it. It sucks but that's my Aunt for you and there is not much I can do about it. I have been forced to take notes on the hearings and even thought I have resisted, I am actually learning things from it. For example, this hearing was to talk about the victims and witnesses and how they will be able to come up to Europe and give their testimony. It must be so hard to be one of the kids that are going to get up and talk about what happened to them.
I have also been thinking about it from a different perspective. Lubanga is a hero to many of the people in his community because he stopped the Hema genocide. So, in a way what is happening to him now is a horrible thing for us to do. Most people don't think of things like that. Instead, they just think right away "He is a monster for what he has done" but in fact to many people in his old community it is the complete opposite. When my Aunt and I talked about it we agreed that there are often different opinions in the world about people like Lubanga because like the saying goes, "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
I have been reading "A Long Way Gone". It is a book written by a former child soldier in Sierra Leone who was recruited by the government to fight the rebels. It is interesting to read right now, because it is the same thing that Thomas Lubanga is being charged with, recruiting and using child soldiers. From the book, I learned that nowadays it is close to impossible for there to be a war and not break the code of conduct and the rules of war, because if one side does it, you can't win if you don't also break those same rules, which is what happened is Sierra Leone and many other places. War is so brutal now its sad that it has gone this far.
I have learned a lot of things from both attending the hearings and reading the book "A Long Way Gone". I recommend the book and in case you want to read it, the author is Ishmael Beah. The web link is:
http://www.alongwaygone.com/
I would also like to know your ideas and input, so be sure to leave comments about your thoughts. And, I have some polls on the side of my blog for you to answer...so answer the poll and give your opinions.
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3 comments:
You and your aunt have WAY more interesting conversations than I have lately! I've heard that book is good. I'll have to pick it up soon. My husband also read one that you might find thought provoking--War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. I think the most important idea you may be getting from all of this is our problems and our people and our world is more complex than one simple answer. And the people who offer you simple answers in the form of sound bytes or platitudes are either unaware of life's complexities or unwilling to face them--either way, those people are dangerous. Stretching our brains around these difficult situations is good for us--makes us grow as a world. Eventually you have to make decisions that many people won't agree with. If you are thoughtful about it they can, at the very least, get behind the fact that you did it because you thought it out. And it's important to travel and listen to other people because they help broaden your mind and your vocabulary so that you CAN deal with the bigger problems. That's something we've been talking about in my class. We don't all speak the same language but we share the same humanity.
Keep up all the good work. You're very lucky to be able to see your aunt in action. Not many people can say they did that!
Good luck with the assignment. I'm enjoying your blog thoroughly! Keep on writing.
I think it would be possible to wage war without breaking any international law in a perfect world. But we don't live in a perfect world. Both sides of the conflict would have to adhere to the law even at the risk of losing and if they were willing to do that, they could have solved the problem through communication and negotiation. That would presuppose that it was more important to the people on each side of the conflict to be moral and just than to win--and that is probably not really ever going to happen. Even in the almost impossible situation of having both leaders of opposing sides really follow international law or what they believe is moral and just, there will be others who will over ride the leaders in an effort to win at all cost. And who is to decide what is moral and just? Whether it is political parties or relious groups, many people feel that what they espouse is moral and just while people on the other side believe that their way is moral and just and unfortunately in many cases, those people who believe that they are moral and just feel absolutely justified in doing whatever it takes to make sure that their "moral and just" side wins. Every side believes that they are right and as you pointed out--one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter--and who is really impartial enough to fairly determine which is which? So in a perfect world we could wage war and still follow international law, but human beings are just not that perfect so it's probably never really going to happen. Best case scenario--use deplomacy and negotiation rather than war.
It's interesting how different people can see things so differently isn't it? Labonga is a hero to some people and a criminal to others. Makes you realize that nothing is really just black or white and you need to think of things from many different angles. A Long Way Gone is a really interesting book. Can you even imagine having to live like the child soldiers? And yet they may be ahead of some of the children who are living in places like Darfur right now. It's a little scary to think that it's just an accident of birth that puts you where you live and determines what kind of life you will have. Lots of things to think about and a very good book to help you start thinking. Bestemom
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