Fallout of Bin Laden Raid: Aid Groups in Pakistan Are Suspect

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/world/asia/bin-laden-raid-fallout-aid-groups-in-pakistan-are-suspect.html?_r=1

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: barry levine 
Date: Thu, May 3, 2012 at 9:04 AM
Subject: re: Fallout of Bin Laden Raid: Aid Groups in Pakistan Are Suspect
To: letters@nytimes.com


To the Editor:

   When civilized nations undertook to bind themselves to Laws of War, they started by defining who is and who is not a combatant. For the sake of civilization, certain people (including journalists and healthworkers are excluded from the category of combatants. They thus enjoy some freedom and even protection to operate in the field of combat.  There is therefore a temptation for a combatant to seek an advantage in war by claiming falsely to  belong to one of these protected categories. For this, there is a technical term. It is called "perfidy". Civilized nations prosecute it as a war-crime.

Barry Haskell Levine