Summary: The legal ambiguities associated with the classification, interrogation and adjudication of al Qaeda members alleged to have committed war crimes continue to hamper the Obama administration’s national security policy. This confusion and the inconsistent application of laws to govern the conflict have exacerbated criticism of the U.S. approach to the war on al Qaeda. This panel, featured during the 2012 National Security Symposium, will analyze, from myriad perspectives, U.S. policy and practice on these issues as we enter the second decade of the armed conflict. Featuring Prof. Nathan A. Sales of George Mason University School of Law; Charles D. "Cully" Stimson of The Heritage Foundation; Prof. Stephen I. Vladeck of the American University Washington College of Law; Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution; and Prof. Glenn M. Sulmasy of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as the moderator. Introduction by Vincent J. Vitkowsky of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism.
