Reply #90: Do normal rules of engagement countenance execution of unarmed enemies outside of a war zone? [View All]

I don't think there's any getting around Glenn's point that, perhaps depending on a clearer view of the facts than we have now, there isn't a lot of precedent for the U.S. declaring the right to hunt down and kill someone in any location, under any circumstances, on the basis that the person is a declared enemy of the U.S.

We not at war with Pakistan, did not advise Pakistan of the mission, and therefore presumably, our forces were in the country illegally. I suspect that we would, for example, hit the proverbial roof if the Mexican military were to send a mission into Los Angeles to execute a drug lord, no matter how many people he was known to have murdered. Or if IDF staged a raid in New York to execute Nazi war criminal, for that matter. We consistently required some level due process even for people accused of crimes that were -- to the extent possible -- even worse than Osama Bin Laden's. We have NOT condoned summary execution for enemies of the United States, in or out of war.