Debating Targeted Killing

The book will certainly be a useful jumping-off point to stimulate discussion, not only in the classroom but elsewhere as well... Recommended. All readers. * C. W. Herrick, Muhlenberg College *
In this important volume in the Oxford series 'Debating Ethics,' Meisels (School of Political Science, Government, and International Relations, Tel Aviv Univ.) and Waldron (New York Univ.) have done an admirable job of foregrounding the practical and moral conundrums associated with the practice known as 'targeted killing.' Although both authors draw on examples from history, much of their discussion focuses on recent instances in the context of ongoing Middle East conflicts and the 'war on terror.' Both authors provide well-documented evidence and extensive, clearly presented argumentation in support of their positions, presented in the form of a debateClearly, the debate about this controversial practice of powerful states remains important and unresolved. Consequently, the book will certainly be a useful jumping-off point to stimulate discussion, not only in the classroom but elsewhere as well...Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. * CHOICE *
Debating Targeted Killing is a balanced book, opening up the topic for civilians as well as experts in IHL [international humanitarian law]. It features all major arguments about the debate in the legal community and even goes beyond that. The authors present their opposing views with expertise and finesse. A very fine read. * Katharina Stein, Nordic Journal of Human Rights *
Targeted killings, as illustrated by President Trump's decision to assassinate Iran's most senior military official, are an increasingly common phenomenon. When apparently carried out by Russia on UK territory, they generate widespread outrage. But when the American and Israeli governments set precedents that risk dramatically weakening the constraints on official murder, many commentators approve. While avoiding a slugfest, Meisels and Waldron succeed in articulating the strongest possible cases for and against this lamentable practice. Sadly, it seems likely that their sophisticated, illuminating and highly readable exchange will need to be widely read in the years ahead. * Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, and John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law, New York University *
The action of targeted killing brings forth many difficult questions. My personal perspective is both legal and judicial. I wrote one of the few opinions which dealt with the practice of targeted killings. I am convinced that if this book had been available to me while writing that opinion, I would have written a deeper, more conscious opinion. Would I have changed the analysis of my opinion, or the result I had arrived at? The answer to that must be deduced by the reader of this important and in-depth volume, themselves. * Justice Aharon Barak, Professor of Law, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya *
This book offers a lot of valuable discussion of a growing trend in contemporary global politics. The authors succeed in highlighting both the promises and perils of this practice, and do so through distinct philosophical approaches. The result is a book that is challenging, rewarding, and both theoretically and practically rich. * Jeremy Davis, Criminal Law and Philosophy *