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the U.S. may be targeting overseas (HT to Lawfare's Ben Wittes for the NYT link); NYT, U.S. Militant, Hidden, Spurs Drone Debate (by MARK MAZZETTI and ERIC SCHMITT, FEB. 28, 2014):



This...

folks like you, ODB, have furthered my education in ways you may or may not imagine. That's my backhanded way of saying, thank you.

On to the task at hand; it may or may not surprise you, but what...

OK.

My view is that politics > policies always govern selection of laws, which usually exist when selected, if not in the final product then as outlines of the final product. That is particularly...

Not being a fly on that wall, I dunno.

I'd suspect that some of the Obama appointees, besides wringing their hands, are advancing the same political arguments (reinforced by more current legal...

Is your message really intent on conflating "torture, espionage and the killing of citizens" into a legal opinion (singular):



and, by necessary implication, that a proponent of the "killing of...

ODB: What follows is my opinion.

1. Targeted killings (whether of US citizens or non-US citizens) can only be justified under the Laws of War (aka Law of Armed Conflict or International...

AP broke this story on Monday, when Lawfare's Jack Goldsmith filed a very short comment, U.S. Citizen Possibly Targeted for Drone Attack, with a short snip from the AP story:





The Dozier...

But first, ODB, good to see the Buddha Belly back posting.

The Short Legal Position starts with the 2001 AUMF, S.J.Res. 23 (107th): Authorization for Use of Military Force, which boils down to one...

with Ben Emmerson's UN report; though in a more strident manner.

Amnesty International, “Will I Be Next?” - US Drone Strikes in Pakistan; investigates nine drone strikes in North Waziristan...

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism (by Ben Emmerson, 18 Sep 2013):



The salient conclusion of...

See this post for much more on the "validity" of persons killed divided into categories, such as "civilians".

My conclusion is that the "civilian" category is determined by the politics and...

As Emmerson points out, drones ain't about to go away. See, from National Defense: Worldwide, Drones Are in High Demand (May 2013, by Dan Parsons), as illustrated by this Brazilian example:
...

From New America Foundation, Drone Wars: Counterterrorism and Human Rights (May 14, 2013) (video, just over 1-1/2 hours).

Participants

Ben Emmerson, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and...

Lawfare, Lawfare Podcast Episode #31: Special Edition: Ben Emmerson Discusses His Investigation (by Benjamin Wittes and Ritika Singh, May 14, 2013) (audio, just over 40 min.)

A couple of key...

Neither al-Muslimi's testimony nor his two blog posts concerning drones were surprising to me - nor, should they be, to anyone else who has followed the Pew International polls of the Muslim...

Witness List

Hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights On “Drone Wars: The Constitutional and Counterterrorism...

I'm gratified to see that we disgree on all material points. :D:):D

Regards,

Mike

I'm gratified that you liked the debate. The presenters - both pro and con - brought their very different positions home without getting too far down into the legal weeds.

For the most part, the...

Oxford Union Debate

The Proposition: This House Believes Drone Warfare is Ethical and Effective.

Speaking for the proposition were Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution;...

We start with Fox News Poll: Majority supports use of drones (by Dana Blanton, March 04, 2013) (interviews conducted 25-27 Feb 2013, before Rand Paul's filibuster) (poll internals):



However,...

I've stayed in plain sight. :) :cool:



Agree; except as to this: "... and has been very over used to our detriment." The "jury" is not yet in on that.

As far as the Bureau of Investigative...

My take (strictly hypothetical), from here.

Strikes (whether drone or other air, or boots on the ground direct actions) can be divided into two catagories, depending on what is known and unknown...

(wiki), perhaps - who picked the wrong traveling companion at the wrong time ?

As to "propaganda-only", the burden of proving that assertion lies on its proponent. But, one must admit that concept...

If the answer to their question #10 ("Is US capture plausible?") is negative, then we proceed to either a personality strike or a signature strike as hypothesized here, One Strike You're Out ??
...

1. How do you determine "everyone" who holds a certain belief ? A data mining operation ? - "1984" ?

2. How do you strike all those "everyones" without unacceptable collateral damage ? - death ray...