University of Richmond Allen Symposium to Assess Political Assassination as Instrument of National Policy
April 3, 2002
Should the government assassinate the leader of a terrorist organization responsible for acts of violence against the United States?
A panel of nine experts on constitutional law, intelligence, politics, religion and the military will decide that question April 11 in a role-play scenario opening "Terrorism and Assassination," the annual Allen Symposium at the University of Richmond School of Law.
The session begins at 6:30 p.m., and admission to the entire symposium is free and open to the public.
Rod Smolla, noted First Amendment scholar and Richmond law professor, will moderate the discussion. Panelists will include: Terence Burke, former deputy director of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Burton Wides, counsel to the Senate and House judiciary committees; Peter Raven-Hansen, professor of law at The George Washington University and author of "National Security Law"; Robert F. Turner, University of Virginia law professor and former Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.; Porcher Taylor, fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington; and others.
Smolla will lead the participants in assessing the operations, expediency, morality and law of the fictional assassination, followed by a town meeting-style discussion that will include the audience in the deliberations.
The symposium continues the following day with three sessions further
exploring the role
of political assassinations in American policy.
"One of the most difficult public policy decisions facing the United States in the battle against international terrorism," Smolla said, "is whether it is ever morally justifiable, legally defensible, operationally feasible or politically expedient to assassinate an enemy terrorist leader."
"By bringing together many of the top experts on this question, the University of Richmond hopes once again to contribute to the national discussion of issues raised by America's newest war."
A complete schedule of events and list of participants is available online at law.richmond.edu. For more information, call 804-289-8186.