If that were war crimes, Clinton, Bush, Obama would be on the hook.
- Under Clinton:
- During the 1999 Kosovo War / NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, NATO struck bridges, electrical grids, broadcasting facilities including Serbia’s state TV headquarters, factories, and transportation infrastructure.
- NATO argued these supported Serbian military operations.
- Human rights groups and some legal scholars questioned attacks on civilian broadcasting and power infrastructure.
- Under Bush:
- During the 2003 Iraq War, the U.S. targeted communications systems, electrical infrastructure connected to command-and-control, roads, bridges, oil facilities, and government buildings.
- The “shock and awe” campaign aimed to cripple Iraq’s ability to govern and fight quickly.
- There were also major controversies over civilian casualties, damage to water/electric systems, and whether some strikes were disproportionate.
- Bush-era counterterrorism operations also included drone strikes and attacks outside conventional battlefields.
- Under Obama:
- U.S. operations against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant included strikes on oil facilities, cash depots, roads, bridges, dams, and economic infrastructure used to finance ISIS operations.
- The administration explicitly defended targeting “war-sustaining” infrastructure tied to ISIS revenue generation.
- In Iraq, Obama also authorized strikes around critical infrastructure like the Mosul and Haditha dams to prevent ISIS from controlling them