FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2006
As a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, John Yoo helped shape much of the Bush Administration’s legal response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Were we at war? The president’s legal authority to act was unclear. In his newest book, War by Other Means (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006), Professor Yoo offers an insider’s account of the formulation of that response. As he explains, these decisions were "controversial because 9/11 itself was unprecedented. 9/11 forced our government to reexamine old assumptions, to reconsider old policies, and to rededicate itself to protecting the national security against a new foe [al Qaeda]."
By explaining the central tenets of the War on Terror’s legal framework, the author explains how we can best fight terrorists in the legal world and on the battlefield. In particular, he discusses al Qaeda and the Geneva Conventions; the rules of warfare and the legality of assassination; the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act; President Bush’s authorization of the interception of telephone calls and e-mails; Guantanamo Bay; the prosecution of terror suspects; and information gathering and coercive interrogation.
Please Save the Date
John Yoo will discuss War by Other Means at AEI (1150 17th Street, NW, 12th floor, Washington, DC) from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2006. He will be joined by other legal scholars. More information about the event can be found at www.aei.org/event1402.
Interview Requests and/or Complimentary Book
If you are interested in a complimentary media copy of War by Other Means, or would like to interview John Yoo, please e-mail vrodman@aei.org (telephone 202.862.4871). Alternatively, interview requests may be sent directly to Professor Yoo at yoo@law.berkeley.edu or through his assistant at 202.862.5945.
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