Council Comments
Charles H. Brower II
Professor of Law, University of Mississippi School of Law The two most important, related, tasks facing the next president are to bring a sense of history to international law and to persuade citizens of its continuing relevance. For example, history reveals that nations have used secret prisons to detain suspected members of terrorist organizations responsible for spectacular attacks and bent on the destruction of Western civilization. Nations have also claimed the right to use force to defend vital national interests. The next administration should understand that these do not represent new paradigms, but old ones that have led nations to the brink of tragedy and beyond. The next administration must also persuade citizens that international law addresses the most burning problems facing the United States in international relations, that one may adapt it incrementally to fill any gaps, and that the global reach of the United States gives us the biggest stake in the stability afforded by compliance with international law.
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