It is very clear indeed that when any regime opens fire on its own unarmed citizens, it has lost all legitimacy as a Government.
International Law needs to be amended with a new clause that makes it a crime for any Government to cause or permit its agents to do that.
There may even be clauses in current law to cover that. Is so, they need to be made explicit.
Of course, the snail like pace of law means that it would not be much use in real time.
An immediate countermeasure is needed. Prime candidate would be for governments to order banks to freeze assets of a ruler who orders or permits atrocities that we see happening in Libya and other countries - as they would any other known criminal.
Libya raises again the need for our Armies to swear that they will not use lethal force on civilians, particularly UK citizens.
Switzerland moved quickly to freeze Mubarak's accounts immediately he left office, with the UK Govt trailing along a few days later to freeze the $5bn he has stashed here.
The carnage in Libya is heartbreaking. The law must change to make it less likely to happen in future.
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