[LINK] Are US Drone Strikes Legal?

[Tom Worthington]

Professor Steven Ratner, University of Michigan Law School and Shahzad 
Akbar, Barrister, Foundation of Fundamental Rights (FFR) Pakistan, will 
discuss "Drone strikes, US policy and the law", at the Australian 
National University College of Law, in Canberra, 2 August 2013: 
http://law.anu.edu.au/anu-college-law/events/cipl/drone-strikes-us-policy-law

Steven Ratner: The United States government has offered a legal theory 
for the use of drones based primarily on the jus ad bellum concept of 
self-defense as well as jus in bello concepts of distinction and 
proportionality. The US position, now elaborated in a formal paper by 
the Obama Administration, combines traditional doctrines and new ideas. 
I will examine whether that policy is and should be the basis for a new 
set of legal regulations on drone warfare.

Shahzad Akbar: The United States government has been conducting drone 
strikes within the sovereign territory of Pakistan since 2004, in breach 
of a plethora of international and domestic laws. According to 
independent sources, these drone strikes have caused a large number of 
civilian casualties including those of women and children. I will 
discuss the impact of drone warfare on civilians in Pakistan and outline 
the various strategies adopted by the victims to seek redress.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
The Higher Education Whisperer http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
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Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/