Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World is a non - fiction compilation book about targeted killing edited by Claire Finkelstein , Jens David Ohlin , and Andrew Altman . It was published by Oxford University Press in 2012 . The book grew out of contributions by authors at a conference in April 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania Law School . " Targeted Killings " features a total of eighteen essays broken into five sections arranged by topical format . The work argues that after the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda in 2001 , the United States and other countries began to see the tactic of targeted killing differently . The practice of targeted killing had previously been accepted in situations of self - defense in the military setting ; after September 11 , 2001 , it became used to kill noncombatants and those not directly involved in a particular armed force . The book begins with a discussion of targeted killing of noncombatants , followed by discussions of legalities , the rationale of self - defense , how targets should be chosen , and when and whether the ends can be used to justify the means . Several contributors defend targeting noncombatants , while Jeremy Waldron breaks down the morality associated with the tactic , and argues against its usage . Philosophy professor Jeff McMahan of Rutgers University points out the problematic nature of targeted killing and emphasises regulations for law enforcement in order to avoid abuse of process . Mississippi College School of Law professor Richard V . Meyer argues that any entity wishing to carry out targeted killing should first have to declare war on the targeted parties involved . Ave Maria School of Law associate professor Kevin H . Govern breaks down the elimination of Osama Bin Laden , and identifies this particular killing as justified and borne out of a rationale decision process . In the final portion of the book , Florida State University Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar Fernando Tesón argues that targeted killing is particularly justified against terrorists , because they use tactics specifically designed to kill civilians . The book was well received in law reviews and by academics across multiple disciplines . Both Robin Geiß , and Steven J . Barela praised its coverage of the legal , moral , political , and strategic aspects of targeted killings . Steven R . Ratner welcomed its addition to the academic literature and Madeline E . Cohen wrote that it would be a useful research reference . " Abraham David Sofaer praised its useful treatment of the subject and its useful tables , and argued the book could have given more weight to the law enforcement model of how and when to use deadly force against individuals . Background . Oxford University Press previously published a book on targeted killing in 2008 by Nils Melzer , " Targeted Killing in International Law " ; which was a joint - winner of the 2009 Paul Guggenheim Prize in International Law given by the Geneva Graduate Institute . " Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World " developed as an outgrowth from a conference in April 2011 which focused on the subjects of both philosophy and law . The conference took place at the Institute for Law and Philosophy of the University of Pennsylvania . Experts in the fields of public policy , politics , military regulations , battlefield knowledge , law , ethics , and philosophy discussed current issues surrounding targeted killing in society . The conference was titled " Using Targeted Killing to Fight the War on Terror : Philosophical , Moral , and Legal Challenges " and was organized by the University of Pennsylvania Law School . At the time of the book ' s initial publish date in print , Andrew Altman worked as Professor of Philosophy at Georgia State University and additionally served as Director of Research at the Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics ; Claire Finkelstein was the Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and additionally served as co - director of the University of Pennsylvania Institute of Law and Philosophy ; and Jens David Ohlin was employed as an Associate Professor of Law at Cornell Law School . Ohlin was previously published in academic journals including the " American Journal of International Law " , the " Columbia Law Review " , and the " Harvard International Law Journal " . He previously authored the 2008 book " Defending Humanity : When Force is Justified and Why " with George Fletcher , also published by Oxford University Press . Publication history . " Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World " was published in hardcover format by Oxford University Press on 30 April 2012 . A paperback format was published at the same time . Additionally it was made available in an e - book format for the Amazon Kindle by Amazon . com on 1 March 2012 . In September 2012 , the work was published online at " Oxford Scholarship Online " . Content summary . " Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World " begins with an introduction written by Andrew Altman . This is followed by a total of eighteen essays broken into five sections arranged by topical format . The work argues that after the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda in 2001 , the United States and other countries began to see the tactic of targeted killing differently . The practice of targeted killing had previously been accepted in situations of self - defense in the military setting ; after September 11 , 2001 , it became used to kill noncombatants and those not directly involved in a particular armed force . The first section of the book involves a discussion of targeted killing of noncombatants . In a piece titled " Rebutting the Civilian Presumption : Playing Whack - a - Mole Without a Mallet ? " , Colonel Mark Maxwell criticises the position of the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) with regards to targeted killing . Maxwell asserts that individuals may indeed serve a combat task even though they are not directly a member of a particular state force . He argues for extending the definition of combatant to include those who arm themselves and engage in combat roles . " Targeting Co - Belligerents " by professor Jens David Ohlin affirms the view by Maxwell and describes an analytical viewpoint called " linkage " in which he states terrorists who are armed and members of an organization can be killed . Ohlin interprets the guidelines of the ICRC to include reliance upon a military system of identification of combatants . " Can Just War Theory Justify Targeted Killing " by professor Daniel Statman puts forth an analysis of three thought processes used to discuss targeted killing rules , including " contractualist " , " collectivist " , and " individualist " . Statman asserts that the tactic of targeted killing is a just form of combat in each of these analyses . The collectivist defense includes the ability of state actors to defend themselves . The contractualist defense involves a rationalisation that targeted killing is better than all - out war as an outcome . Individualist rationale relies upon self - defense of individual persons . New York University and Oxford University professor Jeremy Waldron breaks down the morality associated with the tactic , and argues against its usage . He points out that similar rationalisations could be used by the enemy against those perpetrating the targeted killings , observes there may be an inherent selection bias of targets , and warns of a slippery slope when defending an actor which uses the methodology . In the second portion of the book , a group of articles discuss which sets of laws should be used to regulate targeted killing . Philosophy professor Jeff McMahan of Rutgers University poses the query , " Targeted Killing : Murder , Combat or Law Enforcement ? " . He argues that elimintaing enemies for purposes of self - defense is justified . McMahan points out the problematic nature of targeted killing and emphasises regulations for law enforcement in order to avoid abuse of process . University of Pennsylvania law and philosophy professor Claire Finkelstein writes in " Targeted Killing as Preemptive Action " , that it is difficult to rationalise targeted killing outside of the realm of typical combat between state actors . Finkelstein characterises people as noncombatants unless they are a member of a group which includes identification through standardised attire and carry out criminal behavior patterns . Mississippi College School of Law professor Richard V . Meyer writes that current regulations and standards for targeted killing are inadequate . He argues that any entity wishing to carry out targeted killing should first have to declare war on the targeted parties involved . The book ' s third group of essays involves an analysis of the rationale of self - defense as a justification for targeted killing . Washburn University School of Law professor Craig Martin writes in " Going Medieval : Targeted Killing , Self - Defense and the Jus ad Bellum Regime " that self - defense is not an appropriate rationale for targeted killing because such a justification is restricted to conflicts between state actors . University of Tulsa School of Law professor Russell Christopher asserts in " Imminence in Justified Targeted Killing " that self - defense should be ruled out as a suitable position in several examples of potential conflict . He picks apart arguments by governments including Britain and the United States that self - defense can be used as a rationalisation of action against imminent danger . Western Washington University emeritus philosophy professor Phillip Montague argues in an essay titled " Defending Defensive Targeted Killings " that usage of this tactic against combatants can be seen as defensible and justified acts against terrorism or those who assist terrorist organizations . The fourth portion of the book is devoted to a discussion of how to make specific choices in targeted killing situations prior to carrying out actions against individuals by a state actor . University of Utah S . J . Quinney College of Law professor Amos N . Guiora discusses " The Importance of Criteria - Based Reasoning in Targeted Killing Decisions " , and concludes lawyers in consultation with decision algorithms must make decisions on targets as opposed to combatant commanders in the field . Pepperdine University School of Law professor Gregory S . McNeal picks apart the arguments of those against targeted killing in his essay , " Are Targeted Killings Unlawful ? A Case Study in Empirical Claims Without Empirical Evidence " . He differentiates between decision processes of the United States military and the Central Intelligence Agency , emphasising the U . S . military tactic of attempting to avoid collateral damage . Ave Maria School of Law associate professor Kevin H . Govern breaks down the elimination of Osama Bin Laden in his piece , " Operation Neptune Spear : Was Killing Bin Laden a Legitimate Military Objective ? " . He identifies this particular killing as justified and borne out of a rationale decision process . American University Washington College of Law professor Kenneth Anderson distinguishes between the implemendtation of military drones from targeted killing , in his article , " Efficiency in Bello and ad Bellum : Making the Use of Force Too Easy ? " . He argues that use of targeted killing as a way to respond to threats earlier in order to prevent potential terrorist attacks is a justified tactic . The final portion of the book deals with an analysis of consequentialism within the scope of normative ethics and deontological ethics . Florida State University Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar Fernando Tesón argues in his essay " Targeted Killing in War and Peace : A Philosophical Analysis " that targeted killing is particularly justified against terrorists because they use tactics specifically designed to kill civilians . University of Illinois law and philosophy professor Michael Moore asserts in " Targeted Killings and the Morality of Hard Choices " that targeted killing can be seen as justified through both deontological and consequentialist models . University of Pennsylvania School of Law professor Leo Katz writes in " Targeted Killing and the Strategic Use of Self - Defense " that there is a danger of a state government artificially generating instances in which it asserts it must use targeted killing in self - defense . He warns against situations where governments find it easier to kill terrorists instead of putting them through due process of law . Katz concludes that current regulations support targeted killing because existing law does not consider his argumentation and justifies tactical elimination of terrorists . Reception . " Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World " was reviewed in the " European Journal of International Law " by University of Potsdam international and European law professor Robin Geiß , along with books " Targeted Killings and International Law " by Roland Otto and " The Law of Targeting " by William H . Boothby . The reviewer wrote , " " Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World " is a thought - provoking contribution that takes a refreshingly broad and timely approach in addressing the legal , ethical , and strategic - political dimension of the contemporary debate over targeted killings . " Geiß concluded , " There is some overlap between the chapters , their relationship is not always evident , and as much as the interdisciplinary approach of this volume is to be appreciated , assembling and interlinking the different legal , ethical , and political findings in an overarching , concluding chapter would have been particularly useful . Nevertheless , the book reflects the entire spectrum of diverging views on the matter , and adds an important impetus to move the current debate forward . " Assistant Professor and Head of Reference at Leonard Lief Library , Lehman College , City University of New York , Madeline E . Cohen , wrote in an article for the " International Journal of Legal Information " : " Within the context of moral and legal principles , and military strategy , the subject of targeted killings is analyzed in great detail . These essays are interdisciplinary in their approach , and give various sides of arguments on this rich subject . " She concluded : " An excellent introduction by Andrew Altman provides an overview of ' Our Asymmetric World ' and models used to combat terrorism . References , tables of cases and legal instruments are included making this an excellent reference for further research . " Abraham David Sofaer reviewed the book for the " Texas Law Review " . Sofaer wrote , " It is a beautiful book : large , with print size that is easy on the eyes , and with sufficient space between lines of text to make the complex material at least visually digestible . It has useful tables of cases , instruments , legislation , and abbreviations , as well as an index . " He commented , " . . . it should be clear that a reader seeking a single , nonredundant and objective account of targeted killing should find another book . On the other hand , this collection of essays provides several original and useful treatments of various aspects of the subject . " Sofaer argued that the book could have given more weight to the law enforcement model of how and when to use deadly force against individuals . It received a review from University of Geneva postdoctoral research fellow in the faculty of law , Steven J . Barela , in the " Journal of International Criminal Justice " . Barela described the book as , " A constructive work with a wide purview onto one of the most pressing and difficult policy questions of our time . " He noted , " this volume provides a valuable entry point for investigating this kaleidoscope of legal and moral issues . " Steven R . Ratner of the University of Michigan Law School reviewed the book for the " American Journal of International Law " . Ratner observed , " In light of the complexity of the legal and moral issues , Targeted Killings is a welcome addition to the academic literature . It aims to combine in one volume perspectives from legal experts , moral philosophers , and military planners . " University of Reading law lecturer Robert P . Barnidge , Jr . wrote in the " Boston University International Law Journal " , " " Targeted Killings " also provides some clarity as to the threshold between armed conflict and situations falling short of armed conflict . " He concluded , " " Targeted Killings " ' main contribution to the discussion lies in its focus on the willing use of violence on a significant scale by an organized group . "