<<Perhaps this is totally wrong, and it smacks of urban legend, but a nun told us in fourth grade that one of the main reasons there weren’t many battles fought in Switzerland was that the terrain made it impossible for tanks to maneuver. >>
Well, Geez…you think the fact that Switzerland has remained neutral in every European conflict since the tank was invented might have something to do with it?
My answer, if I was in charge of Country A: “Go to court and apply for a warrant. The judge can decide if there’s evidence enough to grant it, our police can pick up the info, and we’ll pass on anything that looks relevant.”
Bush (or his generals) being pissed off, even with good reason, doesn’t justify arbitrary violation of privacy.
I don’t have a French law cite at my fingertips but one example I can think of is the case of Ira Einhorn. He fled the US after being charged with the murder of Holly Maddux. He wound up in France and they refused to extradite him for the above reason.
I thought they refused to extradite him because he was tried without being present.
I think the primary cause was the death penalty, which he was facing in New York. I think they used the nonpresence at trial as some moral backing, but I think France also allows such trials, so that argument didn’t hold a lot of water. When New York dropped the death penalty aspect, then he was sent back.
But I do wonder if they nab some terrorists if they would make such noise. It’s possible, but they might be going uphill in such regard.
The reason I’m rather skeptical is because it seems a little simplistic. Yes, I could a gree that probably played a part in it. But it just seems too, well, easy-you know?
Neutrality has a wide range of gradations to it. It’s pretty clear now that “neutral” Switzerland was about as closely allied to Germany as “neutral” Ireland or the “neutral” pre-Pearl-Harbor US were to Britain. I’ve read several articles about how the younger generation in Switzerland is facing their parents’ behavior in WW2 by concluding they acquiesced to the Nazis to avoid being taken over outright. The subsequent talk about the mountains (which historically don’t stop determined invaders in other countries), and the universality of military service, can be seen as attempts to cover up embarrassment over enjoying the fruits of their neighbors’ having chosen to fight instead. Naturally, if Germany had held the rest of Europe, that choice would look sensible today, of course.
My cite for the French law was the case of the guy who allegedly murdered the abortion doctor. He was captured in France a few months ago and the United States had to guarantee that he would not face execution before France would extradite him. I can dig up a link if the previous posts on the topic are insufficient.
I misread my source material on the lifting of Pakistani sanctions. It was Austrlia which lifted sanctions, not the United States. My apologies for any confusion, but I think my main point and the questions raised are still valid.