Well my main point was about the growing convergence of global ideas of justice. If McVeigh should be executed by the USA, the USA should also be answerable in a world court for crimes against humanity for its military escapades.
The undercurrents are interesting. Only this week the European Union handed over a letter to the US Justice Department saying it is "deeply concerned about the high number of executions in the United States."
The latest juridical McVeigh muddle adds to European arguments about the riskiness of all executions.
Even a right wing, pro-capitalist journal like the Economist in London, joined in the argument:
"It is not hard, even for opponents of the death penalty, to understand America's need to take vengeance on Mr McVeigh. But next week's spectacle in Terre Haute is merely giving an evil man the notoriety he craves."
Underneath the skirmishing about ethics lie economic interests.
The US has just insulted other capitalist governments by walking out of the attempt by the OECD to control tax havens, declaring defiantly (which it was not been asked to endorse anyway) "The United States does not support efforts to dictate to any country what its own tax rates or tax system should be and will not participate in any initiative to harmonize world tax systems."
Once again the US under Bush seems to be defying a growing consensus about global law and accountability.
The more it is willing to appear a legal loose cannon, the less will be its hegemonic authority.
And now the economic and political conditions exist to erode its hegemony.
Chris Burford
London