Overall, I found last week’s lecture to be very interesting and informative regarding the bombing of the Afghan hospital. Professor Ohlin added insightful remarks during the lecture about whether or not the United States should be “charged” with war crimes. As such, the Professor discussed the importance of the intel the US government received from the Afghan forces. This particular example truly encouraged me to consider the numerous US air bombings and the very reason the government got involved. At the very least, the US is guilty of ignorance for not verifying the Afghan forces’ intel on the ground. Unfortunately, the US could be responsible for heinous war crimes.

Professor Ohlin expressed the concept of collateral damage and its implications on war. The relative definition of this idea and case-by-case basis makes it difficult to justify actions that in the process kill innocent civilians.

In addition, I found Professor Ohlin’s continued discussion on the International Courts to be remarkable. The fact of the matter is that the United States stands as a voting delegate on the United Nations Security Council and thus is able to veto any vote charging them with war crimes. This feature unfortunately removes formal accountability for the US to admit its wrongdoings. Regardless of what the NATO and the Afghan government investigation, the US will not be punished for the bombings.

After this lecture, I took it upon myself to research the notion of war crimes and the Afghan hospital bombings in greater detail. I find it interesting that President Obama apologized to several of the Doctor Without Borders staff members. In my opinion, I contend that the President apologizing most certainly admits a great deal of guilt. In the future, I will most certainly consider this area of law as a potential interest of study and possibly career.