Does the Geneva convention apply to a country?

[nigel99 151]

Reading an article on BBC regarding the CIA, this paragraph caught my eye

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President George W Bush has threatened to veto the bill, which would require the agency to follow the rules adopted by the US Army and abide by the Geneva Conventions, if the Senate passes it.

I have always assummed that if a country signed up to the Geneva convention it applied to the nation, whereas this reads like only the US Army applies the rules (is that why the USAF doesn't mind friendly fire).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7185648.stm

BTW I don't have a problem necessarily if the US wants to use torture, however it must then never complain when its citizens are tortured (and yes I mean citizens not soldiers as the US does not distinguish the two for others). Personally I don't think torture is effective or right but that is a separate issue.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[Frenchy68 0]

It does until such country decides it doesn't apply anymore.
Much like a deal over a handshake. It's solid as a rock until the rock turns into liquid. Then the fun part is how one justifies voiding the "deal".

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[Amazon 7]

No international or national laws seem to apply to King George II.. well at least in his world.

[Hausse 0]

I hope that Bush will be in Den Haag a few years from now and not because he feels like visiting it...

[dannydan 0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions

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Background

The Conventions were the results of efforts by Henry Dunant, who was motivated by the horrors of war he witnessed at the Battle of Solferino in 1859. In 1977 and 2005 three separate amendments were made part of the Geneva Conventions.