I believe that the only difference between a war hero and a war criminal is "who wins the war"?
372142
That my friend is probably true.  How many Japanese civilians were killed when Curtis Lamey ordered the firebombing of Japan.  Think about the two atom bombs dropped as well.  Justified in my opinion because of the casualties the Americans would have suffered if they had been forced to invade.  Had we lost most top leaders would have been beheaded.
1148403
It's basically who ever is on the upside of a treaty wins. Sometimes like in the WWs the central and axis powers lost by accepting an unconditional surrender (complete surrender). Sometimes it is who ever conquers the whole country, not necessarily by determined by casualties.
909641
I prefer the philosophy of George S. Patton.\n\n"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
489831
Neither, do not you know by now War is not the answer?  Why can not we learn from history?   No one Wins We all lose. Peace on earth, good will toward men.  Are we destined to repeat the same mistakes since Abel and Cain?, No it doesn't have to be.  But according to Bible yes, even in the last days, there will be wars and rumours of wars.  Whew!!! All the turmoil gets old.
945087
The only successful wars are those won by overwhelming force.  The wars that are ended through diplomacy only always boil back over later on.  Think of the difference between WW2 and Korea.  We baked the Japanese and they are now close friends of ours.  We negotiated an end to the Korean War, and we are still dealing with the pot-bellied dog-eating dictator, and now he's pointing his puny half-a**ed nukes at us. The only final victory is a complete victory.
306893
The difference is that you at least get to vote for the person sending you off to war.
1171014
Yes this is really a no win for us. What do we hope to gain from the war we are in. A wise man once said that "War must be avoided in all circumstances". If I get best answer you will know who said that.
1106266
Well hopefully your General has your interests at heart.  As George Patton said "War is not about dyin for your country.  War is about making some other poor son of a bitch die for his country."  (well something like that.)
634881
War costs money!\n\nOne complete sentence.
828334
War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left.
171661
The saying "all is fair in love and war" is not true. There are rules in everything, and neither love nor war is an exception.\n\nCrimes in war are things that defy the concept of humanity. War should be waged in the least horrible way as possible (although that sounds impossible), and with the least possible loss of life. Splintering bullets are outlawed by the Geneva Convention because they maim, not kill.\n\nWe are humans, and although war should be avoided altogether, when it happens we must ensure that noncoms do not get hurt.\n\nTo the above answer: Yes, that's nice. That's one example of rules in war. But the Geneva Convention doesn't explain HOW something can be illegal. The question being asked is one of politics and ethics.
763547
A decision to go to war is not about ethics, it is about your interests and what is best for your country.  Can the number killed be justified by the end result.  This is very similar to business, the nicest person is usually not the best business person.  "It is not personal it is just business."  "War is not about ethics, it is about business."
36183
Wrong question. Ante Gotovina is not a hero. He is a war criminal.
296849
chaos = war\norder = peace
441828
Very good question.  As you know, there isn't any difference at all.  As a solider (freedom fighter) fighting for so-called democracy in Iraq, I kill an Iraqi insurgent.  In America (for the most part), I'm a hero, I'm right.  In Iraq (for the most part), I'm the devil, I'm the terrorist.  Yet, if you thought the destruction of the World trade Center was horrible, imagine living in the hell that is Iraq ever since U.S. Troops arrived.
776312
sorry pal, but legally you're sitting on air. no soldier engaged in combat operations is guilty of murder so long as he is within the parameters of the operation, if and when he kills an entire family so he can rape a female, then he's guilty of murder. and only then
860973
war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. Every violation of the law of war in an inter-state conflict is a war crime, while violations in internal conflicts are typically limited to the local jurisdiction. In essence, the term "war crime" represents the concept of an international jurisdiction as applicable to the most severe crimes, in areas where government is dysfunctional and society is in a state of turmoil.