Judging Soldiers

I recently wrote that I worried about how all our surveillance systems could record war as it is and result in prosecutions of our troops for simply fighting. Much in war that we don't want to see went unseen in the past but as our surveillance net expands, we will see it all. World War II vets wouldn't be seen as the greatest generation if all that they did in battle was scrutinized.

John Keegan (via Instapundit) adds the necessary clarification about the state of the laws of war for why recording everything is dangerous for our troops:

The legal code, in short, is highly destructive of the emotions, comradeship, mutual concern and responsibility of seniors for juniors on which the military system operates. Traditionally, the British Army always recognised that the intrusion of civilian law into its way of life was undesirable. In consequence it maintained its own legal system in which, under court martial, soldiers were judged by other soldiers.

Never ever ever sign up for the International Criminal Court. We owe our troops this much respect. They fight clean but they aren't flexicuffing suspected enemies--which is what the evolving standards are demanding.