Digital Commons Network^™

Rightly Dividing The Domestic Jihadist From The Enemy Combatant In The “War Against Al-Qaeda” – Why It Matters In Rendition And Targeted Killings, Jeffrey F. Addicott

Faculty Articles

The United States must be able to distinguish between common criminals and unlawful enemy combatants and then apply the appropriate rule of law to each category with unabashed clarity.

The confusion associated with comprehending fundamental legal concepts associated with how America conducts the "War on Terror" centers around the unwillingness of the U.S. government to properly distinguish al-Qaeda unlawful enemy combatants from domestic jihadi terrorists. Instead, the terms "domestic terrorist," "domestic jihadist," or just "terrorist," are frequently employed to describe all categories of actors--unlawful enemy combatants as well as common criminals--leaving both domestic and international audiences puzzled as to what …

Efficacy Of The Obama Policies To Combat Al-Qa’Eda, The Taliban, And Associated Forces—The First Year, Jeffrey F. Addicott

Faculty Articles

In President Obama’s first year in office, he failed in combating al-Qa’eda, the Taliban, and associated forces. President Obama wished to change the perception on the ‘War on Terror’ established by the Bush Administration, but instead created more confusion and frustration in an attempt to change old policies.

Most notably, President Obama refused to irrevocably and sternly tell the American public that the conflict with al-Qa’eda was indeed a war. The Bush Administration’s first action taken after 9/11 was the pronouncement that the United States was at war. President Obama instead referred to the conflict as an “overseas contingency operation.” …

Legal And Policy Implications For A New Era: The War On Terror, Jeffrey F. Addicott

Faculty Articles

The attacks on September 11, 2001 marked the beginning of the War on Terror. A conclusive body of evidence pointed directly to al-Qa’eda’s terrorist organization as the perpetrators of the arrack and to Afghanistan’s Taliban as the State-supporter of the terrorist organization. Al-Qa’eda terrorists use religion, most often radical Islamic fundamentalism, to justify the mass murder of innocent individuals–demonstrating they have no regard for human life, let alone the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. Armed with the Congressional Joint Resolution, United Nations (“U.N.”) Resolution 1368, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) Resolution, the United States and its …