Targeted Killing and the Rule of Law

by | Jun 6, 2011 | Archive

CATO’s June 2011 issue of Unbound is entitled “Targeted Killing and the Rule of Law” An excerpt: When can the executive lawfully kill? The rule of law itself depends on getting the answer right. Clearly that answer can’t be “never,” because then even...

Pocket Litter, Intel and the Ground Operation

by | May 2, 2011 | Archive

Beyond confirming that Bin Laden was actually the person killed in Abottabad, what is the significance of troops being on the ground to conduct the Bin Laden Operation?  Can their presence lead us to the new #1 in al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri? In the coming days we...

Some Preliminary Thoughts on the Bin Laden Operation

by | May 2, 2011 | Archive

I’m guest blogging over at Opinio Juris, below is a repost of something I wrote there: First off, there is a lot of talk about this operation being a “human operation” involving special operations forces.  Some readers may assume that this meant there were no...

The Epitome of Selfishness

by | Jun 7, 2010 | Archive

This story in the Washington Times will make you sick.  At Reagan National Airport passengers on overbooked flights refused to give up their seats so a family could accompany their Marine son home for his funeral.  A few volunteers stepped up, but not enough, and...

Closing Guantanamo Bay

by | May 28, 2009 | Archive, Media Appearances

I was recently interviewed regarding President Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.  The interview is 15 minutes long. The interview can be heard here: https://gsmcneal.blip.tv/file/2171326/ Or if the link doesn’t work for you the...

Institutional Legitimacy and Counterterrorism Trials

by | Mar 4, 2009 | Archive

I’ve posted a draft version of my article Institutional Legitimacy and Counterterrorism Trials to SSRN and SelectedWorks.  The article is forthcoming in the Richmond Law Review and addresses the relationship between conformity and legitimacy in the institutional...