"If there was any truth in it, decent countries would shun it."
The "decent" countries, as you call them, were quite capable of it themselves - Britain with the Empire, America in VietNam, and all the other countries they carried out their clandestine and not-so-clandestine wars in pursuit of political power and wealth.
"Gallant little Belgium" (one of the cases we sacrificed a generation of young men for, slaughtered up to ten million Congolese for rubber, and if the quotas were not met, they removed the hands of those who failed to meet the targets.
More recently, Britain committed us to an ongoing war in the Middle East to safeguard oil supplies, in the process of which, it dragged us into bed with monsters like the Saudi despots, Qaddafi, Assad....
Thatcher ascertained that mass-murderer Augusto Pinochet never came to trial for the rape, torture and massacre of thousands of young people who had the temerity to oppose his coup.
The massacres that went on during the Greek coup in the sixties, uncommitted on in Britain - Greek politicians and royalty were treated as welcome guests while opponents to the Greek military regime were undergoing the same experiences as were Pinochet's victims.
Britain sold weapons, equipment and chemicals to the Assad regime, despite its record of torture and murder.
These "decent" countries don't give a toss at what happens as long as it's kept within borders and qut of sight.
All "decent" countries are interested in is trade and political co-operation - human rights doesn't feature on their agendas - but even so.....

SETTLEMENTS

WAR CRIMES

SETTLEMENTS

HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AGAIN

INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION - INCLUDING CAMERON

IRELAND AND THE UN

USE OF VETO

WOMEN IN ISRAEL

Jim Carroll