For years, many of us have been noting that the United States continues to violate international law and the sovereignty of foreign nations in some of our military assaults on terror targets. We have often asked how we would respond to countries like Mexico sending military personnel into our territory. Well, it happened this week when three military trucks loaded with Mexican soldiers crossed the border at Bridge Number Two into the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection officials are demanding answers and citizens are up in arms. The Mexicans insist the truck just got lost.
Does it really matter, according to our own practices? If the Mexicans were attacking drug lords or terror suspects, couldn’t they just claim the same privilege of the United States. Indeed, according to Pakistan, we have repeatedly entered Pakistani territory and killed individuals with both predator drones and actual military assaults like the one against Bin Laden. Perhaps this was the Mexican Seal Equipo Seis.
The worst thing about Mexican invasions of the U.S. is that they play Telly Salavas music:
If that is not a war crime, I am not sure what would constitute a war crime.
Source: Pro8news
Jonathan Turley
Ron Paul anyone? The pretext of this story is exactly the same thing Ron Paul has been saying for 30 years, it’s time see see truth in justice in the context of liberty and sovereignty, they are interwoven, it’s time for Ron Paul. Google Ron Paul, check his voting record, it’s hard to dispute what the man says.
I thought that Napolitano said the border was secure! If truck loads of armed Mexican soldiers can simply drive unaware across the border, any wonder WHY we have a massive illegals, and drug problem? The only outrage I have is for the FACT that we have not erected a border fence. Every facility and nearly every home has them, yet we refuse to put one up. Incredible.
If the Mexicans were in hot pursuit of drug smugglers, I would have no problem with this. My outrage would be directed at our BP for not helping the Mexicans out and not being there to help them. This is simply an example of the fraud that is being perpetrated on us. I can tell you that if a US BP agent goes across the border even in HOT Pursuit, Mexico will raise a bigger stink. THAT is worse than protesting this incurrsion.
anon:
I understand your point. In the case of Pakistan, however, I don’t think that the border areas are actually ungoverned. I continue to believe that the Pakistani government tacitly permits terrorist elements to occupy those areas as part of the money game it plays with the U.S.
Mike,
I suspect you’re right, but *my* definition for what is not sovereignty is if you cannot control what happens in a given territory, you’re not a sovereign of it, and that would go double for when the acts in that territory constitute engaging in acts of terror or war against a neighboring country.
“The Pentagon chief did not specify the nature or location of the group’s operations in the South Asian nation, but he went on say that al-Qaeda has “reestablished itself” along Pakistan’s ungoverned area along its border with Afghanistan.”
When the Washington Post and the rest of the world are describing portions of your territory as “ungoverned”, I would say you are not in a position to be upset about other countries ignoring your claimed sovereign rights in that territory.
It’s similar to my reaction to outrage over Israel going into Lebanon.
Hezbollah rockets down on Israel and the Lebanese/Syrian government does nothing.
Outrage when Israel goes in for violating their sovereignty.
But if Lebanon cannot control their territory to keep Hezbollah from shooting rockets into Israel, I am dumbfounded how anyone thinks that a) Lebanon has any sovereignty over that area, and b) why Israel can do nothing but watch the rockets come in.
Probably fits into the category of “American exceptional-ism” somewhere when we do it.
If anyone else does it – well, you better watch your butt. We got drones.
How do we know that this wasn’t just a dress rehearsal for the real thing? There’s nothing like a border incident to provoke a war.
Despite my age, I’m prepared to sign on to the First Scuba Division for the occupation of Cozumel.
anon:
The concept of sovereignty does not admit of exceptions resulting from lawlessness within national borders.
I am not sure this situation is analogous with Pakistan. With other countries, possibly.
In Pakistan, we are told:
1) In most of the country we are cooperating with Pakistani defense forces,
2) There are definitely sections of the country, near the border with Afghanistan that the legitimate Pakistan government does not/will not control and in which terrorists train, and work to support the Afghan Taliban that we are in a known state of war against. (Did we ever declare war in Afghanistan?)
If the designated government cannot or will not control their own territory, I fail to see why any other government should feel compelled to stay out if there are actors in that territory waging aggression against them.
I actually have more of a problem sending drones in then sending assault teams in. As we found out with Bin Laden, they didn’t send drones in, because Obama wanted proof. That suggests (affirms) that drones are too easy to send in, because they don’t need proof as badly.
But I do trust that before they send in an assault team, they will check their list three times to make sure the mission is worth American lives.
That said, if the Mexicans discovered the worse Mexican Drug Lord ever living within the beltway, or in Dallas and most likely being sheltered by DEA/FBI, then hell, I’m all for letting them go in and capture/kill the guy so long as there are no other civilian casualties. In fact, I hope they would an we would all be in their debt for bringing up the collusion of DEA/FBI with Mexican Drug Lords.
Mexican Soldier: We are here for the War On Terror, Senor.
Border Patrol: Outstanding, young trooper! Have a nice day!
WAIT! You guys are surprised that America thinks it can do whatever it wants and rules are only for others?
Where the hell have you been for the last 60 (at least) years? We have toppled legally elected governments, assassinated leaders, funded illegal wars and a couple dozen other things I can site examples of starting with Ike’s over throw in Iran for the oil companies through every President since. And then we wonder why we are not loved world wide.
I’m trying hard to imagine what the White House response would have been, had the soldiers flown a few helicopters into a Quantico neighborhood and executed a known enemy of their state. Say, in a house near the Marine base.
Just for fun, imagine that in the uproar afterwards, the Mexican President states at a press conference, that the reason they did not advise Washington ahead of time, was due to our government’s having deliberately allowed traceable U.S. weapons to flow into Mexico – ergo, “we couldn’t be trusted,” not to blow the secret.
Jill is right. I suspect we have deluded ourselves into believing we can do things others cannot, because we are the modern version of God’s chosen people.
Which makes me feel ill, all the way to the bone.
Lines on a map? We don’t need no stinking lines on a map!
(insert Walter Huston crazy old man dance here)
Hypocrisy, thy foundation is hubris.
Somehow it reminds me of “don’t do as I do, do as I say” …
rafflaw,
Unless you consider Harold Koh to be a person on the right, I have to tell you that he, in speaking for the Obama administration, uses the term American Exceptionalism to justify our war and detention policy.
I really think it’s time to recognize that the Obama administration holds to many positions that we would have called right wing just a few years back. You can’t keep blaming the official right wing for what the administration is doing in wars, detention, torture, destruction of the rule of law, the gutting of civil liberties, the screwing of the poor, etc. We have to be honest. We can’t make a dent in the corruption and cruelty of the govt. until we can be honest about what the govt. is actually doing.
So….
I think the word or phrase the Right prefers is “American Exceptionalism”! As long as the Mexican troops bought something while they were here, I am not upset at their error.
We are special, end of discussion. Do not point to logical conclusions or hypocrisy in US “leadership”. That isn’t an appropriate topic of discussion.