David Elkins

Libyan Airstrike Victims Still Waiting for Redress

Amnesty International (AI) released a scathing report late last week calling for an investigation into civilian deaths from airstrikes during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, which began one year ago Monday. “It is deeply disappointing that more than four months since the end of the military campaign, victims and relatives of those killed … Continue reading “Libyan Airstrike Victims Still Waiting for Redress”

US Weapons Claiming Palestinian Lives, Group Says

A new policy paper published earlier this week by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation documents a number of cases occurring over the past decade in which weapons and ammunition produced and financed by the U.S. have been used to kill unarmed Palestinians and U.S. citizens. "U.S. military aid to Israel is a … Continue reading “US Weapons Claiming Palestinian Lives, Group Says”

Groups Reject Holder’s Defense of Targeted Assassination

Two days after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder outlined the statutory justifications for “targeted killings,” civil liberties groups here continue to question the legality of the Obama administration’s policy, particularly as it applies to the rights and very lives of both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Speaking before law school students on Monday, Holder rebuffed … Continue reading “Groups Reject Holder’s Defense of Targeted Assassination”

New Iran Sanctions Could Push Petrol Prices Even Higher

U.S. lawmakers have introduced a new package of unilateral sanctions targeting Iran that would challenge U.S. President Obama’s discretionary authority to enforce such sanctions and would impose comprehensive restrictions on foreign entities that ship, refine or provide any other related services to Iran’s energy sector. Both versions of the bills in the U.S. Senate and … Continue reading “New Iran Sanctions Could Push Petrol Prices Even Higher”

Obama Faces Mounting Arab Disillusionment

On the eve of a much-anticipated address by President Barack Obama on U.S. policy in the Middle East, a new survey suggests that disillusionment with both Obama and Washington’s approaches to the region are once again on the rise throughout the Muslim world. The survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project (GAP) found … Continue reading “Obama Faces Mounting Arab Disillusionment”

Osama the Symbol Not So Easy to Vanquish

Far from concluding the war on terror, both Western and Muslim-majority countries—many emerging or still embroiled in months of popular protests—will continue to face a threat from extremist ideology after the United States’ decade-long campaign to capture or kill Osama bin Laden has come to an end, most analysts say. The U.S. will now position … Continue reading “Osama the Symbol Not So Easy to Vanquish”

Death Toll Rising at Peaceful Yemen Protests

Despite an ongoing dialogue between U.S. officials, human rights groups and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh regarding concerns over the use of lethal force to quell anti- government protests throughout the Persian Gulf state, the death toll continues to rise in Yemen’s port city of Aden and in other locations. "Shooting into crowds is no … Continue reading “Death Toll Rising at Peaceful Yemen Protests”

Eight Years of Abuses and Impunity in Iraq

A leading human rights group released a report Monday documenting the proliferation of human rights abuses in Iraq since the United States invasion in 2003. Among the most egregious cases, the 102-page report by Human Rights Watch identifies women, journalists, detainees, and marginalized groups, including internally displaced persons and religious minorities, as the most vulnerable … Continue reading “Eight Years of Abuses and Impunity in Iraq”