I suppose that taking away the medal would be just, and it would be just, also, if General Aussaresses were brought to trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as Amnesty International wants. In the United States, there should be an investigation into both Kerrey and his commander, Captain Roy Hoffmann, whose gung-ho demand for kills paved the way for disaster. In fact, the whole Vietnam war should be reexamined battle by battle, order by order. But investigating these past acts is less about bringing individuals to justice, than considering the future. In some ways, there is not much difference between the U.S.-backed paramilitary in Colombia, which routinely massacres suspected rebel collaborators, and the liberation movements of Northern Ireland or the Basque region which put bombs in cafes and post offices in the hopes of winning outright independence.
Violence becomes a habit.
In the United States' zeal to fight the Evil Empire, we helped give birth to the horrific Taliban. The French refusal to loosen their colonial grip in Algeria, and their brutal retaliation to nationalist resistance entrenched widespread violence there. And violence is not a spigot you turn on and off. The government has silenced the press, and most recently shot a student demonstrator in the Berber region of Kabylia. Brutal crackdowns on resulting riots have led to the death of over 40 protesters.