Belz, Mindy. “Stateless Enemies of the State.” World Magazine. God's World Publishing, 5 December 2009. Web. 26 November 2009 <http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16131>.
Read this magazine
In her article, “Stateless Enemies of the State”, Mindy Belz points out how the decision by the Obama administration to try terrorist suspects in civilian court is a radical departure from the way such suspects have been handled in the past. By citing an example from World War II when terrorists were tried in a military tribunal and executed, she illustrates the dramatic change. Belz also spells out how the decision by the Obama administration is a radical change from the policy that was in place even as recently as 2003, when Khalid S M, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and his co-terrorists were captured. The stated purpose by the Justice Department at that time for detaining suspected terrorists was ‘To prevent future attacks.” She quotes the Wall Street Journal at that time as saying, “The terrorist leader could face months, if not years, of interrogations…Washington has stressed that its priority isn’t to prosecute terrorists, but to gather intelligence from them.” The recent vote by the Senate to try terrorists in civilian court shows a change of focus from “preventing future attacks” to providing rights to the terrorists. Belz points out as many others have , the ramifications of that decision: The inadmissibility of certain evidence, in court, the possibility of acquittals based on technicalities, and the increased security risks.
“Stateless Enemies of the State” contains information that is relevant to the question as to whether the U.S. Senate should have voted on October 20 2009, to grant habeus corpus rights to suspected terrorists or not. By providing the historical framework for how terrorist suspects have been dealt with in the past, the author highlights how radical this policy change really is. Belz also articulates the problems that will arise as suspects are granted certain rights. Her argument is strengthened by the fact that she quotes officials like former Attorney General Michael Mukaskey who said, “ I have very serious concerns about the wisdom of this decision. I believe bringing Khalid Sheik Mohammed (the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks) in particular and the group as a whole to New York places extremely dangerous circumstances on our legal system and our law enforcement.” Mindy Belz’s article clearly articulates concerns that should be considered.
