John Ramming Chappell
@jwrchappell.bsky.social
Advocacy & Legal Advisor at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) | Civilian protection, law and policy of the US arms trade | Burqueño | Views mine
Reposted by John Ramming Chappell
Despite the narrow failure of a Senate War Powers Resolution last night, “There will be more opportunities for Congress to rally against the president’s killings of civilians without due process," @jwrchappell.bsky.social told Responsible Statecraft.
More: responsiblestatecraft.org/senate-war-p...
More: responsiblestatecraft.org/senate-war-p...
Senate effort to rein in Trump war on 'narco-terrorists' fails
War Powers Resolution fails largely along party lines
responsiblestatecraft.org
October 9, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Despite the narrow failure of a Senate War Powers Resolution last night, “There will be more opportunities for Congress to rally against the president’s killings of civilians without due process," @jwrchappell.bsky.social told Responsible Statecraft.
More: responsiblestatecraft.org/senate-war-p...
More: responsiblestatecraft.org/senate-war-p...
Reposted by John Ramming Chappell
Senators, representatives, and Presidential aspirants can all work to change this back to a first principle of restraint, and they should do so, argues John Ramming Chappell for @cipolicy.bsky.social. internationalpolicy.org/publications...
September 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Senators, representatives, and Presidential aspirants can all work to change this back to a first principle of restraint, and they should do so, argues John Ramming Chappell for @cipolicy.bsky.social. internationalpolicy.org/publications...
Reposted by John Ramming Chappell
This is not a thorny issue. This is not fraught. It is extrajudicial killing. It is the killing of civilians under any standard of law. He killed them on the basis of his-say so that they are drug smugglers, mere criminals. It was premeditated. And he's saying he's going to do it again and again.
I know people are overwhelmed by too much news from every angle, and maybe people are distracted by the "terrorist" language, or just plain exhausted.
But this is the President of the United States saying he is going to go around killing people because he thinks they're criminals. And already did.
But this is the President of the United States saying he is going to go around killing people because he thinks they're criminals. And already did.
Trump: "When I see boats coming in like loaded up the other day with all sorts of drugs -- probably fentanyl mostly -- we're gonna take them out. And if people wants to have fun on the high seas of the low seas they're gonna be in trouble."
September 5, 2025 at 9:38 PM
This is not a thorny issue. This is not fraught. It is extrajudicial killing. It is the killing of civilians under any standard of law. He killed them on the basis of his-say so that they are drug smugglers, mere criminals. It was premeditated. And he's saying he's going to do it again and again.
In our latest article for Responsible Statecraft (above), @annieshiel.bsky.social and I make the case for the Block the Bombs Bill, and you can also find out more about it here. 3/ www.blockthebombs.org
Block The Bombs To Israel
www.blockthebombs.org
August 21, 2025 at 11:18 AM
In our latest article for Responsible Statecraft (above), @annieshiel.bsky.social and I make the case for the Block the Bombs Bill, and you can also find out more about it here. 3/ www.blockthebombs.org
The bill would ban sales to Israel of the weapons most implicated in atrocities in Gaza -- bombs and explosive shells. It has 33 cosponsors from across the Democratic Party. But if public polling and a Senate vote are any indication, it has lots of room to grow. 2/ www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
www.congress.gov
August 21, 2025 at 11:18 AM
The bill would ban sales to Israel of the weapons most implicated in atrocities in Gaza -- bombs and explosive shells. It has 33 cosponsors from across the Democratic Party. But if public polling and a Senate vote are any indication, it has lots of room to grow. 2/ www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
But Nigeria needs a unified policy approach to civilian protection across its security forces, or else current patterns seems likely to continue. 7/
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
But Nigeria needs a unified policy approach to civilian protection across its security forces, or else current patterns seems likely to continue. 7/
Nigerians face harrowing security challenges, and the government has made efforts to improve civilian protection practices. CIVIC welcomed the announcement of an air force action plan to improve civilian harm mitigation efforts, for example. 6/ civiliansinconflict.org/press-releas...
CIVIC Welcomes Nigerian Air Force’s New Action Plan to Prevent Civilian Harm
CIVIC welcomes the Nigerian Air Force’s recent announcement of a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, which marks an important commitment to take tangible steps to minimize harm to civil...
civiliansinconflict.org
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Nigerians face harrowing security challenges, and the government has made efforts to improve civilian protection practices. CIVIC welcomed the announcement of an air force action plan to improve civilian harm mitigation efforts, for example. 6/ civiliansinconflict.org/press-releas...
Congress has historically played an important role in integrating protection measures into major Nigeria arms sales, but the Trump administration has recently undercut some of their key leverage to influence and improve upon sales with protection measures. 5/ www.stimson.org/2025/eroding...
Eroding What’s Left of Congressional Arms Transfer Oversight • Stimson Center
How President Trump’s decision to defy the norms of Congressional consultation undermines one of the last meaningful mechanisms of arms transfer oversight.
www.stimson.org
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Congress has historically played an important role in integrating protection measures into major Nigeria arms sales, but the Trump administration has recently undercut some of their key leverage to influence and improve upon sales with protection measures. 5/ www.stimson.org/2025/eroding...
Another area of concern is that the last two major arms sales to Nigeria included measures to improve human rights practices and air to ground integration. I don't see anything similar in this latest sale, but these weapons are munitions of the types we'd expect to be used in airstrikes. 4/
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Another area of concern is that the last two major arms sales to Nigeria included measures to improve human rights practices and air to ground integration. I don't see anything similar in this latest sale, but these weapons are munitions of the types we'd expect to be used in airstrikes. 4/
These airstrikes go back many years. Here's a recent example of a misidentification that resulted in the deaths of 16 civilians in Zamfara. 3/ www.bbc.com/news/article...
Nigeria military kills 16 civilians in Zamfara air strike 'mistake'
The villagers were reportedly returning from a mission to chase away armed groups when they were bombed.
www.bbc.com
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
These airstrikes go back many years. Here's a recent example of a misidentification that resulted in the deaths of 16 civilians in Zamfara. 3/ www.bbc.com/news/article...
Last year, we wrote a report on key challenges in the relationship. Among the biggest is that the two last major sales from the US to Nigeria have comprised of military aircraft of the type used in a concerning pattern of mass civilian casualty airstrikes. 2/ civiliansinconflict.org/publications...
US Security Assistance to Nigeria: Civilian Protection Gaps and Opportunities
This brief seeks to identify patterns and causes of civilian harm from Nigerian security force operations, assess US policy efforts to address civilian harm risks in its arms sales and security assist...
civiliansinconflict.org
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Last year, we wrote a report on key challenges in the relationship. Among the biggest is that the two last major sales from the US to Nigeria have comprised of military aircraft of the type used in a concerning pattern of mass civilian casualty airstrikes. 2/ civiliansinconflict.org/publications...