Speaking the Law: Chapter 5

In chapter 5, the authors look at the criticisms of the Obama administration’s legal policies on counterterrorism from both the political Right and the political Left—and explain why they largely reject both. They assert that although the framework of law and legitimacy that the administration has laid out is not without its problems, the legal, ethical, and policy framework is far more robust, as a matter of law, morality, and legitimacy, than the critics acknowledge. Moreover, in the view of the authors, it compares favorably with all the alternatives the various strains of critics have proposed in its stead.