Or so says a new piece by Daniel Klaidman. This seems to generally track with how I viewed the Brennan nomination. Now let’s see how this combines with attempts to revise the AUMF or authorize new targets in the coming weeks.
Nob Akimoto
Nob Akimoto is a policy analyst and part-time dungeon master. When not talking endlessly about matters of public policy, he is a dungeon master on the NWN World of Avlis
Devcat is watching over, but if you notice any problems contact the editors and Devcat will be notified and deployed immediately.
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024https://nwheap.com/ I paid into this when we bought our house on the Northwest Side of Chicago. When… on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024We’re 500 years ahead of schedule.
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024UFC fighter Jon Jones gave Trump his championship belt after the fight. And a callback to one of las…
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024Lest I be accused of flogging another dead horse - NEPA is just a "Show your work" statute. It doesn… on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024Just so long as he's okay, I'm good.
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024I saw him at another blog a few hours ago. He seemed fine. Should I let him know you're concerned?
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024Our current situation is the gov is creating massive market distortions. My suggestion is for the go…
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024Right?.. that's the beauty of it. Protect actual losers (there will be some) allay fears of many who… on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024But why? As BB says above, there's a good chance that most of the change will be a net increase. So… on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024We managed to get a constitutional amendment to prevent alcohol in the face of the bulk of the natio…
November 17, 2024
November 16, 2024
November 15, 2024
November 14, 2024
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024
on The Four Stages of Post-election Cruelty
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024
on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Got a Match?
on The Four Stages of Post-election Cruelty on Subject to Change: The Trump Cabinet So Far on Open Mic for the week of 11/11/2024 on Saturday Morning Gaming: Castlevania (Remembered)
Well, if this is for real I think it’s a good thingReport
Much better that it not be the CIA. It’s not their mission, they’ve screwed up similar things in the past, they appear to be screwing this up right now.
In general, having fewer military-like outfits in a country is better than more. The use of paramilitary force is a dangerous thing.Report
If it’s true, it’s an improvement. But I am not entirely convinced this is a good thing. Moving it from CIA to DOD changes nothing in terms of the net product. Casting the CIA’s actions in the worst possible light, deeming them extrajudicial murder of American citizens, aerial death squads, ( a viewpoint I categorically reject and only moot in the interests of the legality of such actions) — how does moving those killings from CIA to DOD change anything?
Here’s what changes: we transfer justice systems from reg’lar old DoJ justice, with judges and civilian oversight — to DOD justice, UCMJ, with military oversight. Just a different set of rules. Military justice. We see how well this is working out in Guantanamo, a set of state actors imprisoning non-state actors. DOD balks at every attempt to try their prisoners, to the point of releasing them, only to be re-arrested on the battlefield.
I’m not convinced we’ve addressed the fundamentals yet. Until we’ve worked out a way for our Fine Folks in Uniform to wage war against non-state actors, I would prefer civilian justice to military justice in every such circumstance. If these bad guys are as bad as we say, and there’s a strong argument for saying so, why not just call them criminals?Report
Here’s what changes: we transfer justice systems from reg’lar old DoJ justice, with judges and civilian oversight — to DOD justice, UCMJ, with military oversight.
I’m not sure the (DoJ and the CIA) is comparable to the (DoD and the UCMJ).
I think the second is probably mo’ bettah. Not good (for all the points you make), but better.Report
It’s not really ‘automated’ killing (at least not yet)(thank goodness, but nobody’s really pushing for that either). And of course (and as I think you imply) putting the capability over in the DoD vice the CIA without any other action is the same distiction without at difference as calling a ‘war’ a ‘police action’.Report
It’s not even a police action anymore. It’s authorized military force. Giving drones back to the military would further legitimize their use, it seems to me.Report
Us hipsters prefer our targeted killings to be locally-sourced and hand-crafted, not automated. Much more authentic that way, like, dude, you totally KNOW you’re being killed, and who is doing it…that personal, human touch still matters, I think.Report
but then the try-hards at the School of the Americas started calling them ‘death squads’, and it became totally lame, dude.Report
It’s kind of hit and miss with an artisanal blunderbuss, but that’s part of the charm.Report
I’ve said it before: pitting uniformed troops against non-state actors either upgrades the non-state actors or degrades the uniformed troops. Or both.
If it’s to be a ‘police action’, use actual police. Police understand there is no end to crime, only continuing enforcement of laws. The police are reconciled to this endless struggle: investigations, warrants, the rules of arrest, arraignments, rules of evidence and interrogation, the vagaries of judges and juries — in short, a society with a working justice system, not a Police State. Even the police in a Police State hate the role they’re obliged to play.Report
The key appears to be that it’ll also get CIA out of the target selection loop, or at least put a DoD process between it and the ultimate trigger pulling.
In general just putting drones into DoD makes them akin to JSOC forces of one stripe or another, which might mean less (not more) transparency from a civil governance point of view.Report
You’re not going to be able to take the CIA out of the process (if it’s still going to exist), they’re (almost) the only ones (by design) that know who’s who in the zoo (until SOCOM boots actually hit the ground, and then for only for as long as they stay). Or even if it’s not the CIA per se, there’s still has to be one of the intelligence community agencies involved somewhere in the chain (whether under title 50 or just under EO12333 and follow ons) – again, with the caveat that this capability continues to exist.Report
This development allows the CIA to focus on “nano tech killing” technologies now that the drone concept has been proven reliable…Report