Terror on Trial (Son of Nuremberg prosecutor details coming trial of KSM)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 1/7/12 | W Shawcross

[Recovering_Democrat]

Legal proceedings against violent extremists are a crucial defense of our civilization, writes William Shawcross, whose father was a prosecutor at Nuremberg...

Expect to hear a lot about Nuremberg in the months ahead. The war-crimes trials of leading Nazis, begun in that German city in 1945, will form an important subtext as we approach the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of 9/11, and his associates. The pretrial proceedings at Guantánamo may start as soon as March.

Since 9/11, America's attempt to balance justice and national security has drawn protests both at home and abroad. Some of the criticism has been fair, but much of it ignores the dilemmas that any administration would face in dealing forcefully with 21st-century terrorists who, unlike the defendants at Nuremberg, have not yet been defeated. Few things are harder for democracies than to render justice to enemies whose aims are both irrational and non-negotiable.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I highly recommend this thoughtful article. Shawcross takes Hussein to task for his moronic views; though he does seem to indicate Hussein has been forced to change his original plans...like keeping GITMO open.

Shawcross does not seem to be a liberal on the issue of punishing the terrorists.

[bukkdems]

http://chronicle.augusta.com/life/pets/2012-01-07/custom-prosthetic-helps-augusta-dog-keep

[PzLdr]

Wasn’t the senior Shawcross the presiding Judge at the principal trial?

[Recovering_Democrat]

yes, his dad was the British prosecutor, I believe.