Barack Obama’s phantasmagoric world, where the choice of words defines reality
phantasmagoria /ˌfæntæzməˈɡɔːrɪə/, phantasmagory /fænˈtæzməɡərɪ/ n 1. a shifting medley of real or imagined figures, as in a dream 2. a sequence of pictures made to…
North Africa
ISIS or ISIL? A telling tale of the primacy of words over actions in Obama’s foreign policy
President Barack Obama has been very careful to enunciate clearly the acronym of the terrorist organization whose forces have taken Mosul and have been rapidly…
International Law and the Use of Force: Drones and Real Anarchy Unleashed Upon the World
Recently a number of articles have been published that are of particular interest with respect to the development and use of drones. See William Wan…
While Carthage Burns, Obama Dithers
If we think of Carthage not as Tripoli, but as Libya, our title makes sense. Supremely calculating, President Obama doesn’t seem motivated to do anything…
Libya and “The Audacity to Act”
The Audacity to Act We are watching in Libya an authoritarian state use the weapons of modern warfare to put down protests which were peaceful,…
UPDATE: Anwar al-Aulaqi: Targeted Killings, Self-Defense, and War Crimes
UPDATE The Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed suit against the Treasury Department for rules that require them to…
Targeted Killings: U.N. Special Rapporteur Alston Publishes Report to U.N. Human Rights Council
Today, Philip Alston, a highly distinguished human rights expert and U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, published a report addressing international law…
Targeted Killings by Drone Aircraft: A View From India, and Some Observations
….. Quotation “La guerre, c’est une chose trop grave pour la confier à des militaires.” “War is too serious a matter to just be handed…
Targeted Assassinations: Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, International Law, and Strategic Implications
Recently published details regarding the assassination on January 20, 2010 of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, in Dubai, underline the strategic issues raised by targeted assassinations…