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roystgnr comments on How to win the World Food Prize - Less Wrong Discussion
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I really wish that having military/intelligence operatives pose as aid workers or humanitarian workers even outside of war was treated similar to a war crime.
"The feigning of civilian, non-combatant status" is already a subcategory of perfidy, prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. Perfidy is probably the least-prosecuted war crime there is, though.
I was under the impression those rules only applied during an active conflict/war.
Hmm... I believe you're correct. It would be hard to revise that, too, without making the "Are you a cop? It's entrapment if you lie!" urban legend into truth. It does feel like "posing as a medical worker" should be considered a crime above and beyond "posing as a civilian".
I wouldn't expect it to apply more strongly during peace than during war but conducting military or military intelligence operations under the symbols of humanitarian/Aid organizations has such vast externalities.
I'd count handing out food/medical supplies/vaccines, not just medical work. Basically military actions under the guise of amelioration of suffering.
There are always ways around these things for innovative people. With the cop one, one could tell a potential undercover that they are not allowed to enter their premises, playfully. A true cop would be breaking the law if they did, an undercover would not. Alternatively, the potential undercover could be challenged to break a petty crime like jaywalking.