Search: drones
15 May Book Discussion “Outsourcing War and Peace”: The Rise of Private Military Contractors and the Importance of Public Values
...a significant role in operating the drones that have become a central tool in our efforts to combat terrorism. All of this contracting poses an enormous threat to what we might call public values. These values include the core value of human dignity as embodied in international human rights law, as well as the values embedded in international humanitarian law, such as the idea that the use of force is limited even during armed conflict. In addition, other core values include transparency, democratic participation in decision-making, and accountability (sometimes referred...
20 Apr Artificial Intelligence in the Battlefield: A Perspective from Israel
...Furthermore, the Iron Dome is an Israeli missile defense system known for its life-saving capabilities in safeguarding critical infrastructure against the threat of rockets launched into the territory of Israel. In the 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas war, this system allowed the low number of casualties notwithstanding rocket launches from Gaza, Lebanon and other areas (like Syria and even Yemen), in the face of a wide range of threats, like drones and other small, low-flying objects. Another defense system known as “Edge 360” has been developed by Axon Vision. This AI-based system, installed...11 Feb Weekday News Wrap: Monday, February 11, 2013
...said their peace talks are advancing. Reuters has an exclusive on the UN report that arms flowing into Somalia are coming from Yemen and Iran. The New York Times covers a growing debate about a FISA-like court for the use of drones by the United States. China is growing uneasy with North Korea’s leadership, indicating that it may reduce aid if North Korea keeps pursuing nuclear weapons instead of economic growth. The AMICC has published a new analysis on the acquittal and release of Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui from the ICC....11 Apr Weekly News Wrap: Monday, April 11, 2016
...warned their citizens of a high-level, imminent threat of attacks in Turkey, with Israel urging its citizens to immediately leave the country. Asia Relatives and tribal elders in southeastern Afghanistan are demanding an investigation into the killing of 17 people by US drones this week, claiming that the air strikes hit civilians, not members of armed groups. A U.S. Navy officer with access to sensitive U.S. intelligence faces espionage charges over accusations he passed state secrets, possibly to China and Taiwan, a U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday. Europe The...20 Aug Online Symposium: Presumptive Validity of Executive Emergency Action?
...basis of many assertions (Iraq-al Qaeda link, uranium ore, aluminum tubes, mobile labs, drones, chemical and biological weapons, etc.) that were false. I see no grounds for presumptive validity or any automatic trust in superior expertise that resides in the executive branch. As a second point, I find it curious that the two authors regularly claim a lack of competence or expertise on their part to second-guess decisions by the executive branch in time of emergency. As they say, “as lawyers, we do not have any experience regarding optimal security...15 Apr Advice for the U.S. delegation in Kampala
Harold Koh’s ASIL speech drew lots of attention for his defense of the legality of U.S. use of aerial drones. But Koh also spent much of the speech explaining and defending the U.S. decision to reorient its relationship toward the International Criminal Court. He noted U.S. attendance (as an observer) at the ICC Assembly of States Parties in November, and U.S. plans to send a delegation to Kampala, Uganda at the end of next month for the ICC Review Conference. That meeting will be a “big” one as the parties...12 Feb Weekday News Wrap: Tuesday, February 12, 2013
...shawls, which Orthodox tradition sees as solely for men. The UN has urged a greater push toward ending forced labor. Human Rights Watch offers a Q&A about Laurent Gbagbo, the former Ivory Coast president before the ICC for the alleged commission of crimes against humanity; the confirmation of the charges hearing is set to take place next Tuesday, February 19. The LA Times has an op-ed asking the questions related to the use of drones: Are we creating more enemies than we are killing? Esquire has a piece on one...01 Jul Weekly News Wrap: Tuesday, July 1, 2014
...apart after an onslaught by Sunni Islamists who have declared a “caliphate” to rule over all the world’s Muslims. Americas The US has armed drones flying over Baghdad to protect US troops that have recently arrived to assess Iraq’s deteriorating security, the Pentagon said on Friday. The White House says the US will no longer produce or acquire anti-personnel landmines in the future and intends to join the Ottawa Convention that bans their use. BNP Paribas has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to pay $8.83 billion in...17 Nov Here There Bee (More) Pirates … and Might the Obama Administration Take Them Out?
...not use Predator drones and patrol from afar; he responded that such invisible patrols were useful, but that the fundamental operational problem was that once the pirates were aboard, they then had hostages and the whole situation changed. In effect, the attack could be treated as pure battle until the pirates had hostages, but then it turned operationally into counter-terrorism and hostage-negotiation. It was therefore crucial, in his view – he had studied earlier rounds of piracy in these same waters, in which incidents had gone down because Japan and...07 Jun Weekday News Wrap: Thursday, June 7, 2012
The brother of Abu Yahya al-Libi (the militant allegedly killed by a drone strike earlier this week), claims that the US’ drone program is inhumane and makes a mockery of the US claims of upholding human rights standards. IPS offers an opinion piece about how drones fire both ways. In what could have been retaliation for the killing of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a bomb has exploded outside the US mission in Benghazi, Libya. Slate has an Explainer column discussing how hard it is to shoot down a drone. The Sentencing...