The Warrior Legacy Institute has released it's latest paper "Universal Jurisdiction & Targeted Killing" which discusses our policy of killing known terrorists and the authorizations for this. One of our most successful tactics against al Qaeda has been the use of armed drone aircraft and if we are to continue this we need to make certain we are on firm legal ground. Congress passed an Authorization to Use Military Force against al Qaeda following 9/11 which gives legal standing within our own judicial system for these strikes. There are trans-national organizations that believe they have jurisdiction over our operations, such as the International Criminal Court and we need to establish that our inherent right of self defense as a nation gives us the freedom to attack enemies who represent a terrorist threat wherever we may find them. Recently the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the legal justification of the drone strike program. This will not be the last challenge to this program.We suggest a treaty that enshrines such a right similar to pacts that recognize piracy as a borderless crime. Failure to do so could leave our forces in danger of actions from organizations that claim a Universal Jurisdiction over what they consider war crimes. Download pdf here.


This complements the previous papers and videos on " A Population-Centric Counterinsurgency Primer" and "Counterterror as Strategy for the Af/Pak Theater". All of these are written so they can be understood by and educate all Americans regardless of their knowledge about military topics. Our hope is that this will allow them to follow the debate about this vital subject from an informed perspective.

The Warrior Legacy Institute announces the release of it's third paper "Who are we fighting in Afghanistan & Pakistan?" as well as an accompanying video. This complements the previous papers and videos on " A Population-Centric Counterinsurgency Primer" and "Counterterror as Strategy for the Af/Pak Theater". All of these are written so they can be understood by and educate all Americans regardless of their knowledge about military topics. Our hope is that this will allow them to follow the debate about this vital subject from an informed perspective.

This paper gives a brief history of the rise of the Taliban and al Qaeda following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989. It traces the Taliban's origins in the Pashtun regions and their fight to take over the government and impose their strict religious rule country-wide. It follows the ebb and flow on both sides of the border and the eventual entry of al Qaeda to the theater. It focuses on the tribes that make up the insurgency and their leaders, but is not a definitive look at all of these groups. It also takes a look at the current state of Taliban and al Qaeda in both countries and the areas they control.