Ghaddafi war crimes charges show double standard

[Bragi]

(Note: Tom Walkom is one of the very few left-of-centre Canadian journalists who still has a job within Canada's increasingly right-wing media establishment.)

Walkom: Gadhafi’s crimes highlight the world’s double standard

The International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi has cheered those supporting NATO’s war there. That Gadhafi is now officially wanted for crimes against humanity adds credibility to those, like Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who want him forcibly deposed.

But Monday’s decision by a panel of judges in The Hague also underlines a disturbing bias in the international justice system. Arguably, many world leaders commit what the ICC defines as crimes against humanity. Yet only losers and outsiders are called to account. The powerful, and those supported by the powerful, never have to face the music...

Instead, the ICC zeroes in on those Third World figures who no longer have friends. Certainly, these small-time thugs should be held to account. But so should the big guys.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1016257--walkom-gadhafi-s-crimes-highlight-the-world-s-double-standard