A necessary evil?
The Pentagon claims a new form of terrorism needs a new form of justice
WHEN the Pentagon announced on July 3rd that George Bush had identified six “enemy combatants” in American custody as eligible for trial before specially convened “military commissions”, it revived a confusing debate which has been running since Mr Bush authorised the creation of such commissions two months after the September 11th terrorist attacks. At times, the Pentagon and its critics seem to be talking about two entirely different things. Pentagon officials insist that any trials held by the new military commissions—now expected to start in the next few months—will be “full and fair”. Lawyers' groups and human-rights campaigners say they will be a travesty.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “A necessary evil?”
From the July 12th 2003 edition
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