Kill-lists and Accountability Lecture at Penn State Law

Kill-Lists and Accountability, a public lecture at Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law.  November 12, 2012 7 p.m.   

In targeted killings, who creates the “kill list?”  Who approves the names on the list? How is the targeted killing executed? Who is responsible for ensuring that the strike complies with international humanitarian law obligations? When killings are conducted in secret, how can we hold government accountable? National security scholar Gregory McNeal will present “Kill-lists and Accountability” at Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs.

The public is welcome to this event, which will begin at 7 p.m. in Lewis Katz Hall in Carlisle, PA. Registration is requested.

“As the shift from conventional combat to cyber attacks and targeted killings (often through unmanned drone strikes) accelerates, questions arise as to the applicability of the legal standards governing armed conflict developed in earlier times,” said Professor Amy Gaudion, who is organizing the event. “Professor McNeal’s work attempts to answer these questions, and offers recommendations for how the laws of war should apply when the tools in the combat arsenal change.” Professor McNeal’s presentation is based in part on recent field research he conducted into the U.S. practice of targeted killings, and specifically the creation and execution of “kill-lists”. His research concludes that less than 1% of preplanned operations conducted by the military result in collateral damage, but this only tells part of the story as reports indicate the CIA is also involved in the controversial practice.