Feb 25, 2021
A Notre Dame Law School professor is among the legal experts who condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's bombing of Syria Thursday as a clear violation of international law.
"The United Nations charter makes absolutely clear that the use of military force on the territory of a foreign sovereign state is lawful only in response to an armed attack on the defending state for which the target state is responsible," Mary Ellen O'Connell, a research professor of International Dispute Resolution at the school's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, told The Associated Press. "None of those elements is met in the Syria strike."
\u201cPresident Biden violates international law in revenge air strike in Syria. To "recover better" requires respect for the rule of law--starting with the prohibition on the use of force!\u201d— Mary Ellen O'Connell (@Mary Ellen O'Connell) 1614303272
Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes on facilities in Syria purportedly used by Iranian-backed militia groups, an act of military aggression that "killed 22 people after hitting three trucks loaded with munitions near the border town of Abu Kamal," The Guardian reported Friday. Pentagon officials said the airstrikes were in retaliation for recent rocket attacks on bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops.
The president's bombing of Syria--described as "provocative and dangerous" by Phyllis Bennis, a foreign policy expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-wing think tank--was swiftly condemned by progressives, as Common Dreams reported Thursday night.
"It's a disgrace that President Biden managed just 35 days before bombing the Middle East," Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition said in a statement released Friday. "He becomes the latest in a long line of U.S. presidents to treat the Middle East as a bombing ground. Decades of U.S. intervention in the region are cast-iron proof that bombing raids do nothing to bring about peace."
\u201cWe cannot stand up for Congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican President. The Administration should have sought Congressional authorization here. We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate. https://t.co/xqbnSDxjHj\u201d— Ro Khanna (@Ro Khanna) 1614340711
Following Biden's authorization of the airstrikes, a 2017 tweet resurfaced in which now-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki questioned the legality of bombing Syria.
"What is the legal authority for strikes?" Psaki asked nearly four years ago, during the presidency of Donald Trump. "Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country." Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday called it a "great question."
\u201cGreat question.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1614312149
Also citing Psaki's past comment, journalist Glenn Greenwald recommended that someone in the White House press corps ask the press secretary directly to account for her 2017 remarks in the context of Thursday's bombing.
"Someone should ask [Psaki] her own question verbatim about Biden's Syria bombing at [Friday's] briefing," said Greenwald, noting that "while the context of her tweet was Trump's bombing of Syrian forces, the question still applies."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
imperialisminstitute for policy studiesiraniraqjoe bidenmilitarismpentagonphyllis bennissyriawar on terror
A Notre Dame Law School professor is among the legal experts who condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's bombing of Syria Thursday as a clear violation of international law.
"The United Nations charter makes absolutely clear that the use of military force on the territory of a foreign sovereign state is lawful only in response to an armed attack on the defending state for which the target state is responsible," Mary Ellen O'Connell, a research professor of International Dispute Resolution at the school's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, told The Associated Press. "None of those elements is met in the Syria strike."
\u201cPresident Biden violates international law in revenge air strike in Syria. To "recover better" requires respect for the rule of law--starting with the prohibition on the use of force!\u201d— Mary Ellen O'Connell (@Mary Ellen O'Connell) 1614303272
Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes on facilities in Syria purportedly used by Iranian-backed militia groups, an act of military aggression that "killed 22 people after hitting three trucks loaded with munitions near the border town of Abu Kamal," The Guardian reported Friday. Pentagon officials said the airstrikes were in retaliation for recent rocket attacks on bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops.
The president's bombing of Syria--described as "provocative and dangerous" by Phyllis Bennis, a foreign policy expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-wing think tank--was swiftly condemned by progressives, as Common Dreams reported Thursday night.
"It's a disgrace that President Biden managed just 35 days before bombing the Middle East," Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition said in a statement released Friday. "He becomes the latest in a long line of U.S. presidents to treat the Middle East as a bombing ground. Decades of U.S. intervention in the region are cast-iron proof that bombing raids do nothing to bring about peace."
\u201cWe cannot stand up for Congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican President. The Administration should have sought Congressional authorization here. We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate. https://t.co/xqbnSDxjHj\u201d— Ro Khanna (@Ro Khanna) 1614340711
Following Biden's authorization of the airstrikes, a 2017 tweet resurfaced in which now-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki questioned the legality of bombing Syria.
"What is the legal authority for strikes?" Psaki asked nearly four years ago, during the presidency of Donald Trump. "Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country." Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday called it a "great question."
\u201cGreat question.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1614312149
Also citing Psaki's past comment, journalist Glenn Greenwald recommended that someone in the White House press corps ask the press secretary directly to account for her 2017 remarks in the context of Thursday's bombing.
"Someone should ask [Psaki] her own question verbatim about Biden's Syria bombing at [Friday's] briefing," said Greenwald, noting that "while the context of her tweet was Trump's bombing of Syrian forces, the question still applies."
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
A Notre Dame Law School professor is among the legal experts who condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's bombing of Syria Thursday as a clear violation of international law.
"The United Nations charter makes absolutely clear that the use of military force on the territory of a foreign sovereign state is lawful only in response to an armed attack on the defending state for which the target state is responsible," Mary Ellen O'Connell, a research professor of International Dispute Resolution at the school's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, told The Associated Press. "None of those elements is met in the Syria strike."
\u201cPresident Biden violates international law in revenge air strike in Syria. To "recover better" requires respect for the rule of law--starting with the prohibition on the use of force!\u201d— Mary Ellen O'Connell (@Mary Ellen O'Connell) 1614303272
Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes on facilities in Syria purportedly used by Iranian-backed militia groups, an act of military aggression that "killed 22 people after hitting three trucks loaded with munitions near the border town of Abu Kamal," The Guardian reported Friday. Pentagon officials said the airstrikes were in retaliation for recent rocket attacks on bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops.
The president's bombing of Syria--described as "provocative and dangerous" by Phyllis Bennis, a foreign policy expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-wing think tank--was swiftly condemned by progressives, as Common Dreams reported Thursday night.
"It's a disgrace that President Biden managed just 35 days before bombing the Middle East," Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition said in a statement released Friday. "He becomes the latest in a long line of U.S. presidents to treat the Middle East as a bombing ground. Decades of U.S. intervention in the region are cast-iron proof that bombing raids do nothing to bring about peace."
\u201cWe cannot stand up for Congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican President. The Administration should have sought Congressional authorization here. We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate. https://t.co/xqbnSDxjHj\u201d— Ro Khanna (@Ro Khanna) 1614340711
Following Biden's authorization of the airstrikes, a 2017 tweet resurfaced in which now-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki questioned the legality of bombing Syria.
"What is the legal authority for strikes?" Psaki asked nearly four years ago, during the presidency of Donald Trump. "Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country." Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday called it a "great question."
\u201cGreat question.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1614312149
Also citing Psaki's past comment, journalist Glenn Greenwald recommended that someone in the White House press corps ask the press secretary directly to account for her 2017 remarks in the context of Thursday's bombing.
"Someone should ask [Psaki] her own question verbatim about Biden's Syria bombing at [Friday's] briefing," said Greenwald, noting that "while the context of her tweet was Trump's bombing of Syrian forces, the question still applies."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.