[Peace-discuss] No U.S. Drone Strikes in Mali Without Congressional Approval

Thu Jan 17 00:56:42 UTC 2013

Why not demand that Congress give me a trillion dollars? I mean, as long as
we're stipulating that objective reality is unimportant as a guide to
action.

Not extending the drone war to Mali is a plausible ask. It's a crime that
hasn't been committed yet. Preventing it is a winnable fight.

On Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 6:48 PM, Carl G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu>wrote:

> Why not demand Congress impeach Obama for violating the Constitution &
> international law, & murder?
>
> That would do a s much good, and perhaps more.
>
> On Jan 16, 2013, at 6:28 PM, Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
> wrote:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Just Foreign Policy <info at justforeignpolicy.org>
> Date: Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 6:09 PM
> Subject: No U.S. Drone Strikes in Mali Without Congressional Approval
> To: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
>
>
>   [image: Just Foreign Policy]<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=L1xLKMLaHhV3ZLIuqi0s2TJhRzAi1y7H>
>
> Dear Robert,
>
> *Tell Congress to insist the Administration obtain explicit Congressional
> authorization before conducting drone strikes in Mali.
> *
> Take Action<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=P77yi6TJfW6O4Q46QjfOCtzaJIMQCl9N>
>
> France has undertaken a major military campaign in Mali. *U.S. officials
> are talking about the possibility of supporting the French military
> campaign with U.S. drone strikes.*
>
> Congress hasn't authorized US military intervention in Mali. In
> particular, *Congress hasn't authorized U.S. drone strikes in Mali.*
>
> *Urge your Representative and Senators to publicly insist that the
> Administration obtain explicit Congressional authorization before
> conducting drone strikes in Mali.*
>
> *http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/mali-drones<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=eUlT3lInUmnnmhE8x1tSatzaJIMQCl9N>
> *
>
> The *Washington Post* reports: [1]
>
> *[A senior U.S.] official said contingency plans for the use of armed
> drones were already in place and are being reevaluated.*
>
> Without explicit Congressional authorization, the only U.S. legal
> authority the Administration could claim for conducting drone strikes in
> Mali is the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force passed after
> the September 11 attacks. This is the legal authority the Administration
> has invoked for conducting drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
> The invocation of the 2001 AUMF to justify drone strikes in Pakistan,
> Yemen, and Somalia is already very controversial. The invocation of the
> 2001 AUMF to justify drone strikes in Mali should be even more
> controversial.
>
> Indeed, on November 1, the *Washington Post* editorial board, which
> supports the drone strike policy overall, and believes that US drone
> strikes in Pakistan and Yemen are legal overall, wrote: [2]
>
> The *Post*’s reporting suggests that the administration is …
> contemplating the use of drones in more countries where jihadist forces are
> active, including Libya and Mali. This raises new legal and political
> quandaries. *The further — in geography, time and organizational
> connection — that the drone war advances from the original al-Qaeda target
> in Afghanistan, the less validity it has under the 2001 congressional
> authorization … most of the world is unlikely to accept an argument that
> the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks justify drone strikes more than a decade later
> in Northern Africa.*
>
> The *Washington Post* now notes that U.S. support for France's military
> campaign could "*test U.S. legal boundaries*"; that direct U.S. military
> aid to Mali is "*forbidden under U.S. law because the weak rump
> government there seized power in a coup*"; and that some fighters who may
> be targeted by France are "*longtime foes of the Malian government and
> pose no direct threat to U.S. interests*" [3] - thus, they have nothing
> to do with the September 11 attack and therefore the 2001 AUMF can't be
> invoked to justify attacking them.
>
> If the Administration conducts drone strikes in Mali without new
> Congressional authorization, it would be a major setback both for efforts
> to bring accountability and transparency to the drone strike program and to
> efforts to protect Congressional authority to decide when the United States
> goes to war. We have a responsibility to try to draw a line in the sand in
> front of expansion of the drone war to Mali.
>
> *Urge your Representative and Senators to speak up.*
>
> *http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/mali-drones<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3FUFdlSISAzPzlByY9Mxk9zaJIMQCl9N>
> *
>
> 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.*
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>
> References:
>
> 1. "U.S. weighs military support for France’s campaign against Mali
> militants," Anne Gearan, Karen DeYoung and Craig Whitlock, Washington Post,
> January 15, 2013
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-weighs-military-support-for-frances-campaign-against-mali-militants/2013/01/15/a071db40-5f4d-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xq6v%2FTBuoGpYXBI8S85%2F7tzaJIMQCl9N>
> 2. "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=GHnTdIEtmFf2xzui1SY%2FmDJhRzAi1y7H>
> 3. "U.S. weighs military support for France’s campaign against Mali
> militants," Anne Gearan, Karen DeYoung and Craig Whitlock, Washington Post,
> January 15, 2013
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-weighs-military-support-for-frances-campaign-against-mali-militants/2013/01/15/a071db40-5f4d-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=aSQHJvMm%2F78pndv9j9ngmtzaJIMQCl9N>
>
>
>
>  © 2013 Just Foreign Policy
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> --
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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