General Discussion

Savannahmann

(3,891 posts) Wed Dec 18, 2013, 02:50 PM Dec 2013

US Versus India, the big picture.

Twenty years ago, if this case had come up, we would have merely declared the diplomat in question PNG, or Persona Non Gratia. That would have sent the Diplomat home, resulted in a similar removal of one of our diplomats in response, and the incident would have been forgotten, swept under the rug. No long term diplomatic incident, no serious strain on diplomatic relations. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/18/india-diplomat-us-immunity/4108553/

Today, the Authoritarian types in Government service have decided that Diplomatic Immunity does not extend to the UN. That is a bigger problem than most of you think, because this is not just about whether or not a diplomat decided to pay staff from their own nation the amounts they would have earned in that country, or whether they lied on a Visa or not. This is rapidly becoming a major diplomatic incident.

Now, before you "It's the Law" defenders of the authoritarian mentality get started. That argument is as obviously flawed as it gets. If the letter of the law is all that matters, why haven't we turned Robert Lady over to the Italians for his participation in the Kidnapping and torture of a Cleric (who happened to be innocent) in Italy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23367401 Instead we do everything possible to make sure that man does not face justice for his violation of the law. Remember, he had no diplomatic immunity what so ever. He did not have a Diplomatic Passport when he did his actions.

So what is the big picture? We have just notified everyone in the world that they will do things our way in the very city that the UN is housed in. They will do things our way or else. Oh we can lie on all the official documents we want, and they can't do shit, but if they do so we will slap them around.

Regarding India, they have torn down the barricades and protections before our embassy, and demanded the return of the identification cards which mark them as Diplomats, which is the next best thing to breaking off diplomatic relations. Think about that, we have offended a nation with well over a billion people in it, to the point where they have just wished us the best of luck at our embassy and taken down all the Terrorism Protection crap before our Embassy. Now, what can we do? We can stay there and wait to be bombed by the relatives of the people we have murdered and tortured and kidnapped over the years. Or we can pull out and protect our people. Right now, we're protesting that India has a responsibility to protect us and live up to the responsibilities of the Host Nation.

So why did we do this? The letter of the law? No, the Government doesn't give a damn about the letter of the law. They refuse to follow it whenever they decide it isn't convenient to their own agenda. Robert Lady is one example among many. It is another manifestation of the me in charge you do what you're told mentality that has permeated the American mentality for far too long.

So what do other countries do when there is a kerfuffle between a diplomat and the police? They send the diplomat home. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/diplomat-sent-home-over-spitting-incident/article4196845/

One example, from a couple years ago. The reason there aren't more stories? The quietly sending home of a Diplomat isn't really newsworthy, and it's not enough to get diplomatic relations all stirred up over.

Now, I know what you're going to say. That Devyani Khobragade was in essence paying slave wages. IF THE CHARGE IS TRUE. But she was also a registered Diplomat, and while we're now slicing that hair as thin as it gets remember we're doing so in the very same year we moved to prevent the extradition of Robert Lady for kidnapping and torture. Also the wages in question are often paid to people by American companies all the time, and we don't rush out and arrest them.

From here, it goes from bad to worse. The State Department screwed this one up tremendously, and whatever low level dunce decided this without checking with the people at the top should be fired. Even if your read of the situation regarding the Vienna Conventions was absolutely legally correct, you still don't toss a Diplomat, a representative of the Indian People, through the common criminal process. Especially when you know that the eventual result will be dropping the charges and sending the Diplomat home with a note of protest and a quiet assurance that the other diplomats will be more careful in the future.

My question is this, why are we working so hard to offend as many nations as we can? Its like the staffers and people in the day to day implementation of policy level have decided that we are not only the worlds policeman, but that the world had better get used to it or else. It's arrogance, and it is already harming our image around the world. I say that because I find it impossible to imagine that Sec State Kerry would be so numb to the way this would be perceived in the world.

What is it going to take to get people who think things through to prevent major diplomatic mistakes from occurring and exploding in our faces? Just having the top two or three people from our side is obviously not enough.