Anne-Marie Slaughter

In the following viewpoint, Anne-Marie Slaughter argues against trying terrorists in military tribunals instead of in the civilian criminal justice system. Military tribunals violate the basic civil liberties that all Americans consider a part of their very identity. Slaughter also contends that convicting Islamic terrorists in secret without due process will alienate the same Muslims the United States is trying to win over. Furthermore, trying terrorists in a military court identifies them as soldiers when they are nothing more than global criminals. Slaughter is J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and president of the American Society of International Law.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In what ways do military tribunals differ from civilian criminal trials, according to Slaughter?
2. How does the war on terror differ...