老澳门开奖结果

To hear the Obama administration tell it, , the United States鈥� 鈥渢argeted killing鈥� program will soon be bound by clear and 鈥渕ore stringent鈥� rules before a drone strike gets the green light. This counterterrorism 鈥減laybook,鈥� so says the administration, will institutionalize the process for the remote-controlled killing program and keep it within the rule of law.

But that isn鈥檛 true for three reasons, Chris Anders, a senior legislative counsel at the 老澳门开奖结果, on Wednesday night. First, secret rules are inconsistent with the rule of law, which is predicated on everyone knowing the rules. Second, the Obama administration鈥檚 playbook rules will not apply to CIA drone strikes in Pakistan for at least a year if not more, according to the Post. Third, and most importantly, the rules undergirding the program, secret or not, the Constitution and international law.

Anders noted the Kafkaesque nature of the secrecy during the program. 鈥淭o say we follow the rule of law, but we don't even know what the rules are, and then the rules don't apply to the biggest player is a little bit of a joke.鈥�

Drone strikes occur frequently inside Pakistan, the only country in which the CIA is exempt from the secret rules. And contrary to the , arguably the in the remote-controlled killing machine, drone strikes do kill civilian bystanders, including children. In total, about 3,000 people, including 176 children, have been killed by over 300 drone strikes in Pakistan, .

Although we鈥檙e not at war with Pakistan, Pakistanis feel under attack from the United States. 鈥淒rones hover twenty-four hours a day over communities in northwest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles, and public spaces without warning,鈥� a recent report, . 鈥淭heir presence terrorizes men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities.鈥� The impact as well as the legality of these kinds of drone attacks, and the larger 鈥渢argeted killing鈥� toolkit, is now the focus of a U.N. investigation.

Nevertheless, President Obama frequently makes reference to the importance of the rule of law in guiding our national security decisions.

鈥淲e will defend our people, and uphold our values through strength of arms, and the rule of law,鈥� he said on Monday. 鈥淲e will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully. Not because we are naive about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.鈥�

Obama鈥檚 remote-controlled killing program, however, continues to instill suspicion and fear rather than lift it. It鈥檚 a dangerous legacy for a program that has become an illegal hallmark of his administration.

Check out the interview below:

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