November 14, 2012
How Can Targeted Killings Be Justified?
Introduction
Ali Ali/European Pressphoto Ahmed Jabari, the top military commander of Hamas, was killed on Wednesday in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike on his car.On Wednesday, Israel began its broadest attack against Gaza in years with a pinpoint airstrike that killed the military leader of Hamas. In Pakistan and Yemen, the United States has used drones to kill members of Al Qaeda.
The legality and morality of such actions, and whether they constitute government-sponsored murder, have long been questioned. Are targeted killings by governments ever appropriate?
Read the Discussion »Debaters
-
The Rule of Proportionality
Assassination will often be the least bad alternative in an inevitable choice of evils.
-
Lawful Versus Wise Policy
Decades of Israeli assassinations of Palestinian leaders have produced only more opposition to Israeli policies.
-
Transparency and Accountability
The U.S. has conducted targeted killings in nonbattlefield settings and refused to provide even the minimal amount of information to determine justification.
-
A Carefully Calibrated Attack
Critics refer to assassinations as “unethical,” but the only unethical action you can take in warfare is the failure to act in the best interest of your people.
-
Precision Saves Lives
Some think killing a nameless enemy is an act of war but targeted assassination is murder. They’re mistaken.
When Do Consumer Boycotts Work?
New Terms for Nafta?
Media in the Age of Trump
From Their Pens to Donald Trump's Ear
Western States, Federal Land