the lawfulness of targeted killings pursuant to international law.

read more several readings on the controversial counterterrorism tactic of targeted killings. Those who believe they are unlawful would call them assassinations or extrajudicial killings. In a nutshell, it is the killing of a specific terrorist target outside of an active zone of hostilities, e.g. Afghanistan. Some of the readings are scholarly articles on the topic, and some are speeches provided by officials within the Obama Administration which attempt to provide transparency on the legal basis for this counterterrorism tactic.

The readings provide a variety of views on the topic. The issue also spans two areas of international law. The first is the International Law on the Use of Force, or jus ad bellum, which is primarily found in the UN Charter and governs when a state may use force against or within another state. The second is the law of armed conflict (LOAC), or jus in bello, which governs the conduct of hostilities once a state is in an armed conflict (modern term for war). You will also see LOAC termed as International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in the readings, which is NOT to be confused with International Human Rights Law. Because it is confusing, most U.S. lawyers (and all military lawyers) still call it LOAC.

Your assignment is to write a research paper on this topic. Come to your own conclusion on the lawfulness of targeted killings pursuant to international law. Compare and contrast the various viewpoints expressed in the readings. Come up with your thesis argument, and support it with the law expressed in the readings. Address the weaknesses in your argument.