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
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
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, 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
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
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
“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
“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 […]
2/7/2002
On February 7, 2002, “The president [Bush] and his national security team met in the Situation Room. [Central Command leader General Tommy] Franks presented the refined Generated Start Plan for war with Iraq. It was the first time Bush saw an actual plan that he could order carried out….Under this plan, war with Iraq would […]
2/6/2002
In an article on February 6, 2002, The New York Times “was saying that ‘senior American intelligence officials have concluded that the meeting [in Prague, Czech Republic] between [lead 9/11 hijacker] Mr. [Mohamed] Atta and the Iraqi [intelligence] officer, Ahmed Khalil Ibrabim Samir al-Ani, did take place. But they say they do not believe that […]