Originally Posted by Zichao

Pity no one thought of this when he was in power - sure it's not very diplomatic but you'd save $$$ in security costs and annoyance.

While a politician is in power, s/he usually enjoys diplomatic immunity. Arresting a politician, and especially a head of state, would cause many more problems that it might solve, and consequently, no government in its right mind will ever consider this.

This is also, in my view, the main reason why Mubarak doesn't want to leave. As long as he is in power, he can do pretty much whatever he pleases, both in Egypt and abroad. Once he has officially resigned and/or has fled the country, his diplomatic immunity is taken away, he will become a persona non grata in most places on this globe, and his bank accounts will be frozen. Look what happened to the Tunesian guy ... or the Shah of Persia for that matter.

True, but it doesn't apply for crimes against humanity, starting a war of aggression etc.

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I'd think most world leaders could be called 'war criminals' for some such reason. It's all white noise, really. No one cares.

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Addicted to a naïve stimulus-response philosophy, we tend to take it for granted that people’s actions depend on nothing but the momentary stimuli that we, the manipulators, can control at will.
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Originally Posted by Lucas

No one cares.

A lot of people here in Europe do ... but then again, who cares about those pesty quaint Europeans.

Originally Posted by Lucas

I'd think most world leaders could be called 'war criminals' for some such reason. It's all white noise, really. No one cares.

... except when you need it to provide you with an excuse to hang Saddam Hussein or Milosevic... Then, suddenly, it matters.

Tsk.

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It's just a legal justification for power politics. Lame on that front, too.

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Addicted to a naïve stimulus-response philosophy, we tend to take it for granted that people’s actions depend on nothing but the momentary stimuli that we, the manipulators, can control at will.
-Paul Kecskemeti

Also, I really have to scoff at the idea that "a lot of Europeans" care. No, they too care about power politics while they try to clothe it in some type of legalistic indignation. Legality doesn't really seem to be much of a question when it comes to Kohl or Chirac, does it?

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Addicted to a naïve stimulus-response philosophy, we tend to take it for granted that people’s actions depend on nothing but the momentary stimuli that we, the manipulators, can control at will.
-Paul Kecskemeti

Lol. Lucas, you are such a product of the C19th.