Portside

Our leading weapons dealers have developed a business model that feeds on war, terrorism, chaos, political instability, and human rights violations.

Everybody's heard of the My Lai massacre, but not about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. He told the American troops, if they opened fire on the hiding Vietnamese civilians, he and his crew would open fire on them.

Israel's use of the technology to kill Palestinians, says the families' attorney, raises "many questions concerning human judgment, ethics, and compliance with international humanitarian law."

We may never know the name of the soldier who killed Razan al-Najjar. But we do know the names of those who gave the order enabling him to kill her. We know Razan, with her head wrapped in scarves of different colors, showing an investment of time and thought. The color reveals a love for life.

It is almost too horrible to imagine. Today, Israeli snipers again opened fire on unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza. So far, 52 are confirmed dead and the death toll will likely continue to climb.

THE PHILIPPINES president has offered a £340 bounty for each communist rebel killed by government forces in a bid to save on the state’s anti-insurgency costs.

Just two and a half months into his presidency, Donald Trump has already distinguished himself as a war criminal. His administration is killing unusually large numbers of civilians, in violation of US and international law.

On March 16, 1968 American soldiers murdered 407 unarmed men, women, and children in My Lai. The same day, in the nearby village of My Khe, another unit of the same division murdered an estimated 97 additional Vietnamese civilians. I and my fellow Marines routinely killed, maimed, and abused Vietnamese on a near-daily basis, destroying homes, fields, crops, and livestock with every weapon available to us, from rifles and grenades to heavy artillery and napalm.

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It seems that if you are a distinguished citizen of the most exceptional country on the planet, even war crimes have their rewards. Consider, for instance, the millions of dollars that were paid for memoirs by top Bush administration officials responsible for creating an American offshore torture regime at CIA “black sites” around the world. Must-reads all! Rebecca Gordon considers what “justice” for such figures might look like in a different and better world.