The Best Defense is a Good Offense
The Best Defense is a Good Offense:
The Necessity of Targeted Killing
by E. Walker Nordan Jr.
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Over the last four decades, terrorism has grown to be recognized as not only the popular, but openly-accepted method among Islamic extremist factions in making a political statement. Through the practice of airline hijackings and bombings through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, to the astonishing blow to the United States on September 11th, 2001, radical Islamists have ultimately been successful in striking fear into the hearts and minds of people world-wide, innocents and combatants alike. Though most democratic nations of today have the standard policy of not accepting, sponsoring, or even negotiating with terrorists; very few have a policy of eradicating them. Israel, however, has maintained a practice of openly engaging terrorists through “targeted killings”. Israel has raised a great deal of controversy in the international community as to whether or not targeted killing is an acceptable form of warfare, and more specifically, whether or not targeted killing is identical to “assassination”.
I shall assert that targeted killing is distinctly different from assassination and fits within the guidelines of international law — though some changes should be made; additionally, with the changing face of the battlefields of today, I shall argue that targeted killing should be supported by the international community and embraced by the United States as not only an acceptable form of warfare, but the form of warfare against terrorism for the future.
Download the Full Article: The Best Defense is a Good Offense
Major E. Walker Nordan is an active duty Psychological Operations officer that has served in the USASOC community for over eight years, with experiences in combat in Iraq serving at the Joint Task Force level and in leading a Military Information Support Team for Ambassador Crocker in support of the Department of State and USSOCOM.
