[Peace-discuss] Senators: question Brennan on drone strike policy!

[Robert Naiman]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Just Foreign Policy <info at justforeignpolicy.org>
Date: Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 2:57 PM
Subject: Senators: question Brennan on drone strike policy!
To: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org


 [image: Just Foreign
Policy]<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=r5sMeuuXYqlcKkQg8eUixAxEBjtUk94n>

Dear Robert,

*Tell President Obama and Congress to use Senate hearings on the leadership
transition to make U.S. drone strike policy more transparent and
accountable.
*
Take Action<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=cb9SO6xIp3uSpFEy5CCeXYclNy1rbhig>

 President Obama has announced his new national security team: Chuck Hagel
at Defense, John Kerry at State, John Brennan at the CIA. Each of these
officials will have a say in whether U.S. drone strike policy will be
further entrenched than it is today, or whether U.S. drone strike policy
will become more transparent and accountable, and be brought into full
compliance with U.S. and international law.

*Each of these nominees must face a confirmation hearing in the
Senate.*When the President's nominees appear before the Senate, they
should answer
questions from Senators about current drone strike policy, and that should
happen in open session, so the questions and answers can be reported in the
media, and the public can exercise its right to know.

Sign our petition to the President and the Senate here:

*http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/cia-head-drones<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=EV7oyTGYVQlH2b6hpGfuiAxEBjtUk94n>
*

In an editorial, the *Washington Post* called for the CIA's removal from
the drone strike program. [1] Human Rights Watch has been calling for the
CIA to be removed from the drone strike program for a year, noting that the
CIA is less transparent than the U.S. military and less accountable to U.S.
and international law, and that there is no program to compensate civilian
victims of CIA paramilitary actions. [2]

The *Post* has also reported that the Administration has made moves to
institutionalize the current program, suggesting the program could be at
its midpoint—in other words, the program could go on for another ten years.
[3]

But the *Post* has also reported that Brennan, the Administration's pick to
lead the CIA, has led efforts in the Administration to curtail the CIA's
role in drone strikes over opposition from the CIA. [4] This is an opening
for Senators to press for a significant change in policy that could help
save the lives of civilians in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Senators
should press Brennan in open session to get the CIA out of drone strikes.

Osama bin Laden is dead, but the drone strike policy is very much alive,
and until now there has been almost no public Congressional debate. We're
at a fork in the road. If the President and Congress miss this opportunity
to reform current drone strike policy, the status quo will get further
entrenched. *Urge the President and Congress to use the Senate hearings on
the leadership transition to **make U.S. drone strike policy more
transparent and accountable.*

*http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/cia-head-drones<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Rmh65iKkyNTu4Wh6fe3aLwxEBjtUk94n>
*

Thank you for all you do to help bring about a more just foreign policy,

Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio
Just Foreign Policy

*Please support our work. Donate for a Just Foreign Policy.*
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZYkgZ6Vt3P6KPxSN4wb%2BUgxEBjtUk94n>

References:

1. "Pulling the U.S. drone war out of the shadows," Editorial, Washington
Post, November 1, 2012,
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-11-01/opinions/35503416_1_drone-attacks-drone-strikes-qaeda<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8%2Fx8a6fT5Xq0%2BB2TGpRigwxEBjtUk94n>
2. "US: End CIA Drone Attacks," Human Rights Watch, December 19, 2011,
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/19/us-end-cia-drone-attacks; "US: Transfer
CIA Drone Strikes to Military," Human Rights Watch, April 20, 2012,
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/20/us-transfer-cia-drone-strikes-military<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BX5wQeTR3dzhqQDRvEjBGwxEBjtUk94n>
3. "Plan for hunting terrorists signals U.S. intends to keep adding names
to kill lists," Greg Miller, Washington Post, October 23, 2012,
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-10-23/world/35500278_1_drone-campaign-obama-administration-matrix<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YM3Ilp7fy8KbtOK9rk%2F6aYclNy1rbhig>
4. "A CIA veteran transforms U.S. counterterrorism policy," Karen DeYoung,
Washington Post, October 24,
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-10-24/world/35499428_1_drone-strikes-brennan-obama-administration<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=StRFhU7tJOXMjr%2BGRneRAAxEBjtUk94n>


 © 2012 Just Foreign Policy

Click here to unsubscribe<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=LEhwy%2FoLhM5h%2BaU3tIMVrgxEBjtUk94n>
 [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email>
**



-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace-discuss/attachments/20130107/1253eeab/attachment.html>