Philip Alston

The Ghost and the Machine

Kathy Kelly | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Waziristan, Cia, Wardak, Pakistan, Philip Alston, Afghanistan, Drone, Afghan Youth, Uav, Drone Attacks, Women in Afghanistan, Afghan Women, World News
Kathy Kelly

Fazillah, age 25, lives in Maidan Shar, the central city of Afghanistan's Wardak province. She married about six years ago, and gave birth to a son, Aymal, who just turned five. His father was killed by an American bomber plane, remote-controlled by computer.

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Shhh... Listen... It's a quiet revolution for war victims

Sarah Holewinski | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Afghanistan, War, United Nations, Civilian Casualties, Compensation, Philip Alston, Collateral Damage, Civilian-War-Victims, Sri Lanka Civilian Deaths, International Humanitarian Law, World News
Sarah Holewinski

Humanitarians have for decades picked up the pieces of what's been broken in war. What if the warring parties themselves started taking some responsibility?

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Caught in the Crosshairs: Legal Uncertainty over Drone Strikes Puts Civilians at Risk

Chris Rogers | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Law, Pakistani-War-Victims, Pakistan Taliban, Pakistan, Harold Koh, Pakistan Drone Attacks, United Nations, International Law, Civilian Casualties, Philip Alston, Drones, World News
Chris Rogers

The question most consequential for civilians is who drones can kill. While civilian casualty figures attract media, little attention is paid to who counts as a "civilian" or non-combatant.

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State Department To Produce Legal Justification for Drone Attacks

Daphne Eviatar | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Aclu, US Drone Missiles, Afghanistan, Hearts and Minds, Harold Koh, Stanley McChrystal, International Law, Law-and-Security, Philip Alston, Drones, State Department, Politics News
Daphne Eviatar

State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh has promised to produce the Obama administration's legal justification for its increased use of drone strikes. Let's hope that moment comes soon.

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Sri Lanka Execution Video Authentic UN Expert Says

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Philip Alston, Sri Lanka Execution Video, Sri Lanka Execution Video Real, Sri Lanka Video, Sri Lanka, Video, World News

(AP) UNITED NATIONS — A U.N. human rights investigator said Thursday that a videotape of an apparent execution of blindfolded and naked Tamils b...

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Friday Talking Points [79] -- Judicial Activism And Bias

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mark Nickolas, Supreme Court, White House, Autoworkers, Burris, Constitutional Crisis, Power Struggle, Founding Fathers, Detainee Deaths, Gingrich, President, War Crimes, Rnc, Courts, Princeton, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Sotomayor, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Pussy Galore, Un, Ralph Nader, Judicial Activism, Republican National Committee, Court, Twitter, Terry McAuliffe, Congress, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, Constitution, Mddotw, Rod Blagojevich, Sonia Sotomayor, Truth Commission, Youtube, Banks, Hillary Clinton, Uaw, Bonuses, Up or Down Vote, Michael Guest, Same Sex, Nader, President Obama, Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, United Nations, Blaggy, Filibuster, Bankers, Obama, Scotus, Prejudice, Auschwitz, Blago, Republican, Government, Blagojevich, Lionel Sosa, Pelosi, Clinton, Activism, Federal Government, Bias, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Defense of Marriage Act, Legislating From the Bench, Benefits, Gm, Pyne Prize, Roland Burris, Philip Alston, Gay, State Department, Checks and Balances, Mcauliffe, Chris Kelly, Secretary of State, Wall Street, Chris Weigant, Spousal Benefits, Nominee, Doma, Torture, Alston, Politics News
Chris Weigant

"Judicial activism" (or, alternatively, "legislating from the bench") is defined -- no matter what your political beliefs -- as "judges not ruling the...

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US War Crime Probes Inadequate: UN Expert

AP | FRANK JORDANS | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: War Crimes, US War Crimes, US War Crime Probes, Lewis Welshofer, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer, Philip Alston, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, UN Human Rights Council, World News

GENEVA — An independent U.N. human rights investigator said Thursday that the United States is failing to properly investigate alleged war crime...

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