[Peace-discuss] how about a Durbin letter to President Obama on new CIA chief and drone strike policy?

[Robert Naiman]

What do you think of the idea of Senator Durbin sending a letter to
President Obama ahead of his announcement of his pick to head the CIA,
saying this is an opportunity for a fundamental reform of the drone
strike policy; in particular, getting the CIA out of drone strikes (a
proposal which has been endorsed by the Washington Post editorial
board, Human Rights Watch, and the 9/11 Commission.)

That could be the marquee demand for a list of reforms of drone strike
policy that Senator Durbin would like to see, knocking down the most
egregious aspects of current policy, such as:

- legal justification not disclosed
- civilian victims not compensated
- civilian harm not publicly assessed
- secondary strikes/attacks on rescuers
- signature strikes whose targeting criteria violate international law
on their face

Here's some relevant ink:

Obama’s pick for CIA could affect drone program
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obamas-pick-for-cia-could-affect-drone-program/2012/11/24/4dc58dc2-3349-11e2-bfd5-e202b6d7b501_story.html

US: Transfer CIA Drone Strikes to Military
Ensure Intelligence Agency Abides by International Law
APRIL 20, 2012
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/20/us-transfer-cia-drone-strikes-military

Pulling the U.S. drone war out of the shadows
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/us-drone-war-demands-accountability/2012/11/01/56627964-2380-11e2-8448-81b1ce7d6978_story.html


--
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org