吃瓜直播

The Biden administration鈥檚 Presidential Policy Memorandum (PPM) is the newest iteration of rules that govern the U.S. government鈥檚 actions outside of recognized battlefields. Previously known as the 鈥�Principles, Standards, and Procedures (PSP)鈥� under President Trump, and the 鈥�Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG)鈥� under President Obama, these rules govern the executive branch鈥檚 unlawful and publicly controversial use of lethal force outside of recognized war zones, without meaningful congressional or public oversight.

The PPG was issued by President Obama in May 2013 following public outcry and the administration's resulting promises of more transparency and stricter controls over the government鈥檚 controversial drone killing program, which operated largely in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The rules entrenched the administration鈥檚 use of force outside of recognized battlefields, while imposing important (though insufficient) policy constraints intended to limit harm to civilians. In 2017, the Trump administration replaced the PPG with the PSP, which scaled back protections for civilians, including by broadening the standard under which the U.S. could use lethal force, loosening the standards for ensuring that a targeted individual was actually present, and delegating presidential authority to regional military commanders. Despite their importance, both policies were kept secret until the 吃瓜直播 forced their disclosure through two lawsuits in 2016 and 2021.

In this case, the Biden administration likewise refused to release the new rules until the 吃瓜直播 (and the New York Times, in a separate lawsuit) sued. In June 2023, in response, the Biden administration released a redacted version of the policy that appeared to restore the minimal safeguards against civilian harm in the original Obama-era PPG, but problematically excluded from those protections strikes conducted in 鈥渃ollective self-defense鈥� of U.S. partner forces. The Biden administration has frequently invoked this novel legal theory to justify deadly strikes in Somalia.

We remain vigilant in our fight for transparency and accountability. It should not require lawsuits for these controversial policies to be made fully public. And while we welcome the PPM鈥檚 attempt to restore the minimal safeguards against civilian harm, the U.S. lethal force policy remains unlawful and does not prevent deadly consequences for predominantly Muslim, Brown, and Black civilians around the world.