Drone debate

Washington University St. Louis School of Law was the site last week of a debate on on the legality and foreign policy implications of the United States' use of drones in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border regions, an issue about which we've posted frequently.
Debating were IntLawGrrls guest/alumna Mary Ellen O'Connell (University of Notre Dame), who's posted on the issue here, and Kenneth Anderson (American University).
Their spirited engagement at the Whitney R. Harris Institute, of which IntLawGrrl guest/alumna Leila Nadya Sadat is Director, can be watched on video here.

'Nuff said

(Taking context-optional note of thought-provoking quotes)

Not only will some members of the intelligence community be subjected to costly financial and other burdens from what amounts to endless criminal investigations, but this approach will seriously damage the willingness of many other intelligence officers to take risks to protect the country. In our judgment such risk-taking is vital to success in the long and difficult fight against the terrorists who continue to threaten us.

-- Excerpt from Friday's letter from 7 former Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency to President Barack Obama. The 7 signatories were Michael Hayden (above, far right), Porter Goss (above, near right), George Tenet (above left, receiving Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2004), John Deutch, R. James Woolsey, William Webster, and James R. Schlesinger. Can't help but note that the 1st 3 would seem to have a very vested interest in the letter's subject matter: All 3 led the CIA during the post-9/11 period that is now the subject of the Justice Department's preliminary inquiry.

(hat tip for text to our Opinio Juris colleague Kenneth Anderson)

First at Human Rights First

Delighted to learn the Elisa Massimino (left) has been named the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Human Rights First.
Elisa, who joined that NGO in 1991 and has served as its Washington, D.C., Director since 1997, earned bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy, then a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. An Adjunct Professor who teaches human rights advocacy at Georgetown University Law Center, Elisa's also taught law classes at Virginia, George Washington, and American University.
The press release announcing the appointment points out that The Dark Side, reviewed in IntLawGrrl Elizabeth L. Hillman's post earlier this week, makes note of Elisa's work on behalf of persons held since 9/11 as suspected terrorists. (Our prior post mentioning this work is here.) The release states that Jane Mayer's account

credits Massimino with being 'instrumental' to the national debate on these issues. 'Massimino quietly put together a stunning coalition of retired military dignitaries ... to support the restoration of the Geneva standards in the treatment of prisoners.' Massimino, the daughter of a submarine commander, led this informal coalition of nearly fifty retired generals and admirals in meetings with the majority of the 2008 presidential candidates and many members of Congress.

An apt assessment, as all who've followed Gitmo-related issues will recognize.
Heartfelt congratulations!

(Hat tip to our Opinio Juris colleague, Kenneth Anderson)