Target Killing

Targeted Killing: Self-Defense, Preemption, and the War on Terrorism
Thomas Byron Hunter, M.A., M.Litt.

Killing a man is murder unless you do it to the sound of trumpets. —Voltaire

Summary this paper assesses the parameters and utility of “targeted killing” in combating terrorism and its role within the norm of state self-defense in the international community. the author’s thesis is that, while targeted killing provides states with a method of combating terrorism, and while it is “effective” on a number of levels, it is inherently limited and not a panacea. the adoption and execution of such a program brings with it, among other potential pitfalls, political repercussions. targeted killing is defined herein as the premeditated, preemptive, and intentional killing of an individual or individuals known or believed to represent a present and/or future threat to the safety and security of a state through affiliation with terrorist groups or individuals. the principal conclusions of this paper are that targeted killing: ● Must be wholly differentiated from “assassination” and related operations involving the intentional targeting of an individual during wartime, in order to be considered properly and rationally. ● is a politically risky undertaking with potentially negative international implications. ● is the proven desire of some terrorist groups to conduct attacks involving mass casualties against innocent civilians that may, in the future, cause states to reconsider previous abstention from adopting targeted killing in order to protect their populace. ● can serve to impact terrorists and terrorist groups on a strategic, operational, and tactical level. ● Has historically had both negative and (unintentionally) positive impacts for terrorist groups. ● oftentimes exposes civilians to unintentional harm. the methods of investigation include a thorough review of the available literature: books, published and unpublished essays, interviews of 1

Journal of

Bibliography: adkins, roy, Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle (great Britain: little, Brown, 2004). Bennett, geoffrey, The Battle of Trafalgar (great Britain: Pen & Sword Military classics, 2004). Buckley, Mary, and fawn, rick, Global Responses to Terrorism (london: routledge, 2003). clausewitz, carl von, On War (great Britain: Wordsworth editions limited, 1997). conboy, Kenneth, Shadow War: The CIA’s Secret War in Laos (uSa: Paladin Press, 1995). connor, Ken, Ghost Force: The Secret History of the SAS (london: cassell, 1998). 49 Journal of Strategic Security corbin, Jane, The Base: Al Qaeda and the Changing Face of Global Terror (great Britain: Simon and Schuster uK ltd, 2003). Daftary, farhad, The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma’ilis (london: i.B. tauris, 1994). Dinstein, yoram, War, Aggression, and Self-Defense (cambridge: cambridge university Press, 2001). franck, thomas, Recourse to Force: State Action Against Threats and Armed Attacks (cambridge: cambridge university Press, 2004). freedman, lawrence, Deterrence (uK: Polity Press, 2004). glad, Betty and Dolan, chris (eds.), Striking First: The Preventative War Doctrine and the Reshaping of U.S. Foreign Policy (new york: Palgrave McMillan, 2004). gunaratna, rohan, Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror (london: Hurst and company, 2002). Hammel, eric, Six Days in June: How Israel Won the 1967 Arab-Israeli War (new york: ibooks, inc., 1992). Harclerode, Peter, Fighting Dirty: The Inside Story of Covert Operations from Ho Chi Minh to Osama bin Ladin (london: cassell, 2001). Howard, russell D., and Sawyer, reid l. (eds.), Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Understanding the New Security Environment (uSa: Mcgraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2002). Hyams, edward, Killing No Murder: A Study of Assassination as a Political Means (great Britain: Panther Modern Society, 1970). Kegley, charles W., The New Global Terrorism: Characteristics, Causes, Controls (new Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003). laquer, Walter, the new terrorism: fanaticism and the arms of Mass Destruction (oxford: oxford university Press, 1999). laquer, Walter, (ed.) Voices of Terror (canada: reed Press, 2004). levite, ariel, Intelligence and Strategic Surprises (new york: colombia university Press, 1987). 50 targeted Killing: Self-Defense, Preemption, and the War on terrorism long, David e., The Anatomy of Terrorism (new york, the free Press, 1990). longford, elizabeth, Wellington: The Years of the Sword (new york: Harper and row, 1969). MacDonald, callum, The Killing of SS Obergurppenführer Reinhard Heydrich (london: Macmillan, 1989). Meir, golda, My Life (new york: Dell Publishing, 1975). netanyahu, Benjamin, Fighting Terrorism (new york: farrar, Straus and giroux, 2001). netanhayu, iddo, Entebbe: A Defining Moment in the War on Terrorism (uSa: new leaf Press, 2003). o’Sullivan, noel (ed.), Terrorism, Ideology, and Revolution: The Origins of Political Violence (colorado, uSa: Westview Press, 1986). ostrovsky, Peter and Hoy, claire, By Way of Deception (new york: St. Martin’s Press, 1990). Pillar, Paul r., Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (Washington, D.c.: Brookings institute Press, 2001). Pugliese, David, Canada’s Secret Commandos (canada: esprit de corps, 2002). reeve, Simon, One Day in September (england: faber and faber ltd., 2000). rodin, David, War & Self-Defense (oxford: clarendon Press, 2002). rowan, Brian, Behind the Lines: The Story of the IRA and Loyalist Ceasefires (Belfast: the Blackstaff Press limited, 1995). ryan, Mike, Special Operations in Iraq (great Britain: Pen and Sword Military, 2004). Stevenson, William, 90 Minutes at Entebbe (uSa: Bantam Books, 1976). turner, Stansfield, Terrorism & Democracy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991). 51 Journal of Strategic Security Wilkinson, Paul, Terrorism: British Perspectives (england: Dartmouth Publishing company limited, 1993). Wilkinson, Paul, Terrorism Versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response (great Britain: frank cass Publishing, 2005). Author Biography Mr. Hunter served as an intelligence officer with the Defense intelligence agency (Dia) from June 2002 to april 2007. During this time, he served in a variety of specialized analytical areas, including homeland security, detainee support, and South american narcoterrorism. While serving in the weapons branch, Mr. Hunter specialized in the analysis of terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures (ttP) which included in-depth study of improvised explosive devices (ieDs) and the ttP employed in their use worldwide. He earned numerous honors and awards including citations from other government agencies with whom he consulted and coordinated hundreds of finished intelligence papers. Mr. Hunter holds a master’s degree in unconventional warfare from the american Military university, a master’s degree in international security studies from the university of St. andrews (Scotland) and an undergraduate degree in english and american literature from the university of Southern california. 52