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

Thu Jan 17 02:18:42 UTC 2013

I would prefer to see wave after wave of Demented Avengers
marching cheerfully on the White House with blazing torches and
brandishing barbecue forks and paring knives.

On 01/17/13 8:48, Carl G. Estabrook 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 <mailto:naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>> 
> wrote:
>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: *Just Foreign Policy* <info at justforeignpolicy.org 
>> <mailto: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 <mailto:naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
>>
>>
>> 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.*
>> http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate 
>> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SwZpe5QJZe61uFyQIo%2FePNzaJIMQCl9N>
>>
>> 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>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>> -- 
>> Robert Naiman
>> Policy Director
>> Just Foreign Policy
>> www.justforeignpolicy.org <http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/>
>> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org <mailto:naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
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