VIRTUAL EVENT: the Venezuelan Air Strikes, the Rule of Law, and Presidential Power
Are the Venezuelan Boat Strikes legal? What legal regime governs these actions and what institutions exercise oversight and accountability?
All lawyers- and all members of the US Armed Services- swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and adhere to legal and ethical obligations. In matters of national defense and foreign policy, courts have traditionally given significant deference to the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Yet, even that deference has its limits- the recent boat strikes off the Venezuelan coast have raised questions of legality, constitutional overreach, and potential accountability for those involved.
Are the recent boat strikes lawful, and what legal standards are used for making this determination? What oversight mechanisms oversee unilateral U.S. military action against non-state actors? What legal status do alleged narco-traffickers enjoy? What legal and ethical obligations do Armed Service Members have if given unlawful orders?
Join us on Wednesday, December 17, at 12:00 PM ET for a discussion of these questions, the legal and constitutional questions they invoke, and what potential next steps in oversight or accountability exist.
To discuss this important topic, our webinar will feature Major General (Ret.) Steven J. Lepper, the former Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, former Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former President & CEO, Association of Military Banks of America, and Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy; Carrie Cordero Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security, former Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and former Senior Associate General Counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; John B. Bellinger III Adjunct Senior Fellow in International and National Security Law, Council on Foreign Relations, former Legal Adviser for the State Department, and former Senior Associate Counsel to the President and Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, George W. Bush Administration; and Gregg Nunziata, the Society’s Executive Director, who will serve as moderator.
This event will be on the record and open to press; for media inquiries, please contact Communications Director Tony Franquiz at [email protected].
Major Gen. (Ret.) Steven J. Lepper
Carrie Cordero
John B. Bellinger III,
Gregg Nunziata