A Qualified Defence of American Drone Attacks in Northwest Pakistan Under

International Humanitarian Law in Light of the Alston Report

Robert P !arnidge" #r
*
When the American people elected Barack H. Obama President of the United
States on November 4 !""# man$ observers envisa%ed a ne& foc's for the United
States in the &orld. (one it &as tho'%ht &as the derided )co&bo$ diplomac$* of his
predecessor in the White Ho'se President (eor%e W. B'sh. +ndeed of President
Obama,s first five e-ec'tive orders three made si%nificant forei%n polic$ chan%es as
re%ards the clos're of detention facilities in Guantnamo Ba$ .'ba and orderin% a
revie& of detention policies and ens'rin% the la&f'lness of interro%ations.
/omesticall$ a ca'stic presidential campai%n %ave &a$ to an increase in s'pport for
the ne& leader &ho &o'ld soon receive &hat is ar%'abl$ the &orld,s hi%hest sec'lar
hono'r the Nobel Peace Pri0e. 1he title of President Obama,s !""2 Nobel 3ect're
)A 4'st and 3astin% Peace* encaps'lated the mood at the time. +t &as tho'%ht b$
man$ that nearl$ an$thin% &as possible since a conscientio's &ill that co'ld )speak
tr'th to po&er* had seemin%l$ arrived to %'ide the international comm'nit$ into the
second decade of the t&ent$5first cent'r$.
+ronicall$ ho&ever man$ of President Obama,s most ardent s'pporters and
those c$nics &ho derided his Nobel 3ect're for bein% 'nrealistic and naive seemed to
have missed a n'mber of revealin% n'ances in his speech in Oslo. While stressin% the
need to adhere to internationall$5a%reed r'les that re%'late the 'se of force he
asserted a )ri%ht to act 'nilaterall$ if necessar$ to defend m$ nation*
6
tho'%h &itho't
** 3ect'rer in 3a& Universit$ of 7eadin%. 8mail9 r.barnid%e:readin%.ac.'k. 1he a'thor is %ratef'l
for a %rant from the Societ$ of 3e%al Scholars 7esearch Activities ;'nd that allo&ed him to cond'ct a
&eek of field &ork in +slamabad Pakistan in /ecember !"6" to facilitate this research. 1he a'thor is a
member of the Universit$ of 7eadin%,s 3iberal Wa$ of War Pro%ramme &hich is f'nded b$ the
3everh'lme 1r'st. /o not cite &itho't a'thor,s prior permission.
6 Barack H. Obama Nobel 3ect're A 4'st and 3astin% Peace </ec. 6" !""2=
http9>>nobelpri0e.or%>nobel?pri0es>peace>la'reates>!""2>obama5lect're?en.html. See 1H8 WH+18 HOUS8
NA1+ONA3 S8.U7+1@ S17A18(@ at !! <Aa$ !"6"=
e-pressl$ statin% &hether this doctrine eB'ated to appro-imated or diver%ed from to
&hatever e-tent each State,s ri%ht of self5defence 'nder the la& related to the 'se of
force.
!
1he &orld also learned that evil still e-isted that non5violent civil
disobedience &o'ld not have stopped Hitler and the Holoca'st and that ne%otiatin%
&ith Al Caeda &o'ld 'ltimatel$ prove fr'itless.
D
As President Obama p't it )EtFo sa$
that force is sometimes necessar$ is not a call to c$nicism 55 it is a reco%nition of
histor$G the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.*
4
And despite the pro'd
claim that he made in Berlin on the campai%n trail d'rin% the s'mmer of !""# that he
&as a )fello& citi0en of the &orld*
H
Guantnamo remains open, the United States
has not resigned the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and
many of the ush !dministration"s poli#ies in the fight against terrorism remain in
pla#e, al$eit %ithout the language of the %ar on terror&
I

1his paper e-amines the la&f'lness 'nder international h'manitarian la& of
one of the most important and controversial aspects of the Obama Administration,s
http9>>&&&.&hiteho'se.%ov>sites>defa'lt>files>rss?vie&er>national?sec'rit$?strate%$.pdf <assertin% that
the United States m'st )reserve the ri%ht to act 'nilaterall$ if necessar$ to defend o'r nation and o'r
interests $et &e &ill also seek to adhere to standards that %overn the 'se of force*=.
! Broader debates on the la& related to the 'se of force s'ch as &hether the Obama Administration,s
post're borders on the licens're of a%%ression as Henderson seems to impl$ or &hether the prohibition
of the threat or 'se of force has itself fallen into des'et'de as (lennon ar%'es lie o'tside the scope of
this paper. See .hristian Henderson The 2010 United States National Security Strategy and the
Obama Doctrine of Necessary Force, 6H 4. .ON;3+.1 J S8.U7+1@ 3. 4"D <!"6"=G Aichael 4. (lennon
;orce and the Settlement of Political /isp'tes9 /ebate &ith Alain Pellet .olloB'i'm on 1opicalit$ of
the 62"K Ha%'e .onference Peace Palace 1he Ha%'e Sept. K !""K
http9>>fletcher.t'fts.ed'>fac'lt$>%lennon>pdf>Ha%'ePaper.pdf.
D See Obama su!ra note 6.
4 "d#
H 1e-t of Obama,s Speech in Berlin N.@. 1+A8S 4'l$ !4 !""#
http9>>&&&.n$times.com>!""#>"K>!H>&orld>americas>!Hiht5
!4te-tobama.64K##D2K.html.
I See 1H8 WH+18 HOUS8 su!ra note 6 at !" <statin% that )this is not a %lobal &ar a%ainst a tactic 55
terrorism or a reli%ion 55 +slam. We are at &ar &ith a specific net&ork al5Ca,ida and its terrorist
affiliates &ho s'pport efforts to attack the United States o'r allies and partners*=.
approach to fi%htin% terrorism the 'se of drone attacks in north&est Pakistan.
K
+t
be%ins b$ e-plorin% developments in drone technolo%$ and locates this disc'ssion
&ithin the conte-t of the American drone campai%n in north&est Pakistan. Since
arrivin% at the le%al frame of reference for assessin% each of these attacks 'nder
international h'manitarian la& reB'ires determinin% &hether an armed conflict
paradi%m applies and if so ho& the armed conflict at iss'e sho'ld be classified this
paper then t'rns to e-plorin% these iss'es from the perspective of la&. +t then
e-amines three persistent iss'es that have arisen in the conte-t of the American drone
campai%n in north&est Pakistan9 the B'estion of collateral dama%e &ith partic'lar
reference to the drone attack that killed 1ehrik5e51aliban Pakistan leader Bait'llah
Aehs'd in A'%'st !""2 the concern of the !"6" 7eport of the Special 7apporte'r on
8-traL'dicial S'mmar$ or Arbitrar$ 8-ec'tions Philip Alston that )EiFt is not
possible for the international comm'nit$ to verif$ the le%alit$ of a killin% to confirm
the a'thenticit$ or other&ise of intelli%ence relied 'pon or to ens're that 'nla&f'l
tar%eted killin%s do not res'lt in imp'nit$*
#
and the le%al implications of .entral
K /rone attacks are a t$pe of )tar%eted killin%.* ;or definitions of tar%eted killin% see $e!ort of the
S!ecial $a!!orteur on %&tra'udicial, Summary, or (rbitrary %&ecutions, )hili! (lston at D U.N. /oc.
A>H7.>64>!4>Add.I <Aa$ !# !"6"= <definin% a tar%etin% killin% as the )intentional premeditated and
deliberate 'se of lethal force b$ States or their a%ents actin% 'nder colo'r of la& or b$ an or%ani0ed
armed %ro'p in armed conflict a%ainst a specific individ'al &ho is not in the ph$sical c'stod$ of the
perpetrator*=G (abriella Bl'm J Philip He$mann *a+ and )olicy of Targeted ,illing, 6 HA7M. NA1,3
S8.U7+1@ 4. 64H 64K <!"6"= <definin% a tar%etin% killin% as the )deliberate assassination of a kno&n
terrorist o'tside the co'ntr$,s territor$ <even in a friendl$ nation,s territor$= 's'all$ <b't not
e-cl'sivel$= b$ an airstrike*=G Nenneth Anderson Targeted ,illing in U#S# -ounterterrorism Strategy
and *a+ Aa$ 66 !""2 at !
http9>>&&&.brookin%s.ed'>O>media>;iles>rc>papers>!""2>"H66?co'nterterrorism?anderson>"H66?co'nte
rterrorism?anderson.pdf <definin% a tar%eted killin% as a )tar%etin% of a specific individ'al to be killed
increasin%l$ often b$ means of hi%h technolo%$ remote5controlled Predator drone aircraft &ieldin%
missiles from a stand5off position*=G N+3S A83P87 1A7(818/ N+33+N( +N +N187NA1+ONA3 3AW H <!""2=
<definin% a tar%eted killin% as the )'se of lethal force attrib'table to a s'bLect of international la& &ith
the intent premeditation and deliberation to kill individ'all$ selected persons &ho are not in the
ph$sical c'stod$ of those tar%etin% them*=G H.4 KI2>"! P'blic .ommittee A%ainst 1ort're v.
(overnment of +srael E!""IF para. I" <definin% a tar%eted killin% as a )preventative strike ca'sin% the
deaths of terrorists and at times also of innocent civilians*=. ;or some e-amples of tar%eted killin%s
see A83P87 su!ra, at app. at 4DI544.
# (lston $e!ort, su!ra note K at !K.
+ntelli%ence A%enc$ involvement in drone attacks. Ultimatel$ this paper concl'des
that American drone attacks in north&est Pakistan are not as s'ch 'nla&f'l 'nder
international h'manitarian la& tho'%h like an$ method and means of &arfare in the
conte-t of as$mmetric &arfare the$ sho'ld be contin'o'sl$ and closel$ monitored
accordin% to the dictates of la& and sensitivit$ to the facts on the %ro'nd.