On April 7, Professor Marjorie Cohn delivered a presentation about drones and targeted killing at the Desmond Tutu Center, which is a joint project of the Christian Theological Seminary and Butler University in Indianapolis.
Professor Cohn explained why she invited Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Tutu to write the foreword to her new book, ‘Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues.’ President Obama often refers to ‘American exceptionalism’, reflecting the view that Americans are superior to people in other countries. This became an issue in 2013, after a secret Department of Justice white paper was leaked to the press. It listed conditions for the targeted killing of U.S. citizens. Although there had been very little opposition to the targeted killings of foreigners, when Americans heard that U.S. citizens could be targeted, they were outraged. This motivated Archbishop Tutu to write a letter to the editor of ‘The New York Times,’ in which he asked, “Do the United States and its people really want to tell those of us who live in the rest of the world that our lives are not of the same value as yours?”
When Professor Cohn saw his letter, she invited the Archbishop to write the foreword to her book. He graciously agreed, and expanded on that sentiment in the foreword.
Professor Cohn's lecture, which was very well-received, was attended by 95 people, mostly Butler students.
Photos by Dawn Pearson
