When Frontier Justice Becomes Foreign Policy

America has always been ambivalent about assassinations, says intelligence expert Thomas Powers. Though several leaders were targeted during the Cold War, such attempts were generally shrouded in secrecy and vehemently denied by government officials. The one endeavor that was publicized – against Fidel Castro – caused such public outcry that Presidents Ford and Reagan imposed executive orders forbidding any agent of the United States from engaging in such a conspiracy. These orders have never been officially revoked and yet, as Powers points out, President Bush is actively and openly pursuing the assassination of Saddam Hussein. The Bush administration maintains that killing Hussein is a legitimate act of war because his survival encourages resistance and may be discouraging Iraqis from cooperating with the United States. However, Powers maintains that practical concerns about the potential for retaliation – for murder and countermurder – remain, whether Bush is justified or not. Moreover, he says that killing Hussein may make matters worse. "Success might only clear the path for another Iraqi leader, just as intransigent but free of Mr. Hussein's terrible burden of decades of crime against his own people," he concludes. – YaleGlobal