Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

2008

Keywords

military commissions, terrorism, Geneva Convention, Military Commissions Act, Guantanamo, prisoners of war, POW, law of war, lawful combatant, detainees, tribunals

Subject Category

Courts | Human Rights Law | International Law | Jurisdiction | Law | Military, War and Peace

Abstract

On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda operatives attacked civilian and military targets on US territory, causing thousands of deaths and billions of dollars of economic loss. The next day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1368 characterizing the attack by Al Qaeda as a "threat to international peace and security" and recognizing the right of states to use armed force in self defense.