“On February 7 [2002], the White House declared that the Geneva Conventions would in principle apply to the conflict in Afghanistan, but that the Taliban and al Qaeda would specifically not be granted prisoner-of-war status. The argument was that the groups did not represent a state and thus did not enjoy the protection of the […]
Category: quotes
2/7/2002
“On February 7 [2002], President Bush struck what was described as a compromise. America would abandon its commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions in the war on terror. But Bush promised that ‘as a matter of policy’–not law–‘the United States Armed Forces shall continue to treat detainees humanely’…so long as it was consistent with […]
2/7/2002
In a memo to top members of his Administration on February 7, 2002, President Bush said “that the Geneva Conventions only applied to conflicts involving states fighting with regular armed forces. ‘However,’ he wrote, ‘the war on terrorism ushers in a new paradigm, one in which groups with broad, international reach commit horrific crimes against […]
2/7/2002
In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on February 7, 2002, neoconservative political analyst William Kristol said: ” ‘A friendly, free, and oil-producing Iraq would leave Iran isolated and Syria cowed; the Palestinians more willing to negotiate seriously with Israel; and Saudi Arabia with less leverage over policymakers here and in Europe. Removing Saddam […]
2/7/2002
On February 7, 2002, President “Bush signed an executive order adopting the ‘new paradigm’ language for the war on terrorism. Based on [Deputy Assistant Attorney General John] Yoo’s Justice Department analysis, the order said, the president had determined that ‘none of the provisions of Geneva’ applied to al-Qaeda. Although the Constitution gave him the authority […]
2/7/2002
On February 7, 2002, President Bush issued “a memorandum stating that he had determined the Geneva Conventions did not apply to members of the Taliban or al-Qaeda because they were ‘unlawful combatants’ and, as such, did not qualify to be labeled prisoners of war. ‘I accept the legal conclusion of the Department of Justice,’ wrote […]
2/7/2002
On February 7, 2002, Saddam Hussein sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Mustafa Bülent Ecevit. It read: ” ‘As pertains to the weapons of mass destruction, Iraq, which no longer has any of these weapons and has no intention of producing them, is in the forefront of those who are keen that our region […]
2/7/2002
President “Bush stated on February 7 [2002] that al Qaeda and the Taliban would be collectively given the status of ‘illegal enemy combatants,’ and the United States would treat them ‘humanely and to the extent appropriate and consistent with military necessity, in a manner consistent with the principles of the GC [Geneva Conventions].’ This clause […]
2/7/2002
“Bush signed an action memorandum dated Feb. 7, 2002, addressed to Vice President Dick Cheney, which denied baseline protections to al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners under the Third Geneva Convention. That memo, according to a recently released bipartisan report issued by the Senate Armed Services Committee, opened the door to ‘considering aggressive techniques,’ which were then […]
2/6/2002
In hearing before Congress on February 6, 2002, CIA Director George Tenet “testily rejected suggestions Wednesday that U.S. intelligence services had failed to anticipate the [9/11] terrorist attacks. …Tenet acknowledged, however, that the CIA had not known of the Sept. 11 plot, which he said was held ‘in the heads of three or four people.’ […]