13th July 2026, 6:51 AM
The more I find out about Nuremberg, the more I realize they were more of a show than anything. Obviously, those in charge of the nazi party needed to pay for their crimes, but the problem was defining what a "crime" in war even amounts to. The fact remains that numerous governments around the world have committed similar offenses, though the magnitude fell far shorter... and also the U.S. prosecution "allowed" far too much to slide from those being charged, all in the name of giving the impression of civility.
So, we haven't had a single Nuremberg trial since then. Why is this? More and more, the answer I keep coming back to is... Germany lost utterly and completely, and those on trial were captured alive. Without those conditions, no such trial can take place. I'm not sure we'll ever see such a unique moment in history ever again. Not only do those in power currently not want much attention drawn to their OWN violations of human rights, but simply put, that kind of utter domination and capture simply is far harder to actually accomplish while leaving those in power still alive in the first place. Yes, there's an arrest warrant out for Benjamin Netanyahu, but he's never going to bother leaving the country to any place that would actually enforce that warrant.
Likewise, Trump will never be in a position to actually get arrested, much less sent out of the country.
But, ultimately does it matter? What the nazis did can't be undone. It's impossible to give a fair and impartial trial, when the victors were the ones holding it. The courts of Germany wouldn't have found him guilty, since the nazis controlled it. A court of public opinion is hard to say, depending on just what public opinion was of Hitler at that exact time, and if they may or may not have been afraid to cast a vote considering the allies were in control of Germany at the time. The allies likewise would have been foolish to allow for even the possibility that those being tried were let off. What a clown show that would have been!
In all, frankly had they just decided to summarily execute them all without bothering with a trial... I can't see that it would have functionally been any different. I suppose... ultimately the show was important. They did the very best they could considering the circumstances. There was no way to do it fairly, but there was at least a way to show an attempt was made to at least demonstrate what fairness looked like. But, we're left with this idea that this is ultimately where all tyrants end up... too bad it only happened once, and it's clear that's not at all where all or even most of them end up. It was a one time show, and frankly tyrants in general end up dead at the hands of those who overthrew them.
So, we haven't had a single Nuremberg trial since then. Why is this? More and more, the answer I keep coming back to is... Germany lost utterly and completely, and those on trial were captured alive. Without those conditions, no such trial can take place. I'm not sure we'll ever see such a unique moment in history ever again. Not only do those in power currently not want much attention drawn to their OWN violations of human rights, but simply put, that kind of utter domination and capture simply is far harder to actually accomplish while leaving those in power still alive in the first place. Yes, there's an arrest warrant out for Benjamin Netanyahu, but he's never going to bother leaving the country to any place that would actually enforce that warrant.
Likewise, Trump will never be in a position to actually get arrested, much less sent out of the country.
But, ultimately does it matter? What the nazis did can't be undone. It's impossible to give a fair and impartial trial, when the victors were the ones holding it. The courts of Germany wouldn't have found him guilty, since the nazis controlled it. A court of public opinion is hard to say, depending on just what public opinion was of Hitler at that exact time, and if they may or may not have been afraid to cast a vote considering the allies were in control of Germany at the time. The allies likewise would have been foolish to allow for even the possibility that those being tried were let off. What a clown show that would have been!
In all, frankly had they just decided to summarily execute them all without bothering with a trial... I can't see that it would have functionally been any different. I suppose... ultimately the show was important. They did the very best they could considering the circumstances. There was no way to do it fairly, but there was at least a way to show an attempt was made to at least demonstrate what fairness looked like. But, we're left with this idea that this is ultimately where all tyrants end up... too bad it only happened once, and it's clear that's not at all where all or even most of them end up. It was a one time show, and frankly tyrants in general end up dead at the hands of those who overthrew them.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)