Post by ck4829 on Feb 16, 2022 17:28:24 GMT
Yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was very upset. “It’s just a matter of time until some terrorist group — probably from Afghanistan, maybe from Syria, maybe from Afghanistan, maybe from Somalia — works its way through our southern border to kill a bunch of us,” declared Graham. “America’s threat from radical Islam has gone up, not down, our policies in containing the threat are not working, Afghanistan is a breeding ground for terrorism as I speak, everybody that we work with is being slaughtered and we want to talk about closing GITMO and restricting the drone program.” Graham concluded, “You’re living a dream world!”
While Graham’s outburst was striking in its own right, the testimony that provoked him illuminates how proponents of a drone program that is largely unaccountable for its civilian casualties fall back on emotional talking points about the threat of terrorism rather than grappling with the real national security, economic, humanitarian and legal costs of two decades of war. This goes for their continuing support for the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, the offshore prison for GWOT detainees that has served as a propaganda tool for al Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), too. Half of the witnesses before the committee offered tangible steps to reduce civilian casualties and reassert Congressional authority or war making, far short of surrendering to terrorists as Graham seemed to suggest.
Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s national security Project, urged the committee to “demand that Executive Branch officials testify about their legal and policy justifications for using lethal force in countries where Congress did not authorize it,” “deny funding for unauthorized and unlawful user of force,” and reassert Congressional controls over declaring war.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, a Yemeni human rights organization, called for a review of “the lawfulness and civilian impact of each operation undertaken since the United States began using lethal force in Yemen nearly two decades ago and take a hard look at whether these operations have been at all effective in making anyone safe.”
While those calls for accountability for drone strikes and war on terror policies that undermine the rule of law and provide propaganda for terrorists seemed to get under Graham’s skin, it might be because the weapons most responsible for civilian atrocities are partially responsible for paying for his 2020 senate campaign.
responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/02/10/lindsey-graham-melts-down-shouts-at-drone-war-critics/
While Graham’s outburst was striking in its own right, the testimony that provoked him illuminates how proponents of a drone program that is largely unaccountable for its civilian casualties fall back on emotional talking points about the threat of terrorism rather than grappling with the real national security, economic, humanitarian and legal costs of two decades of war. This goes for their continuing support for the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, the offshore prison for GWOT detainees that has served as a propaganda tool for al Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), too. Half of the witnesses before the committee offered tangible steps to reduce civilian casualties and reassert Congressional authority or war making, far short of surrendering to terrorists as Graham seemed to suggest.
Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s national security Project, urged the committee to “demand that Executive Branch officials testify about their legal and policy justifications for using lethal force in countries where Congress did not authorize it,” “deny funding for unauthorized and unlawful user of force,” and reassert Congressional controls over declaring war.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, a Yemeni human rights organization, called for a review of “the lawfulness and civilian impact of each operation undertaken since the United States began using lethal force in Yemen nearly two decades ago and take a hard look at whether these operations have been at all effective in making anyone safe.”
While those calls for accountability for drone strikes and war on terror policies that undermine the rule of law and provide propaganda for terrorists seemed to get under Graham’s skin, it might be because the weapons most responsible for civilian atrocities are partially responsible for paying for his 2020 senate campaign.
responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/02/10/lindsey-graham-melts-down-shouts-at-drone-war-critics/