Licence to kill (concept)

:This article is about the concept. For the James Bond film, see Licence to Kill.

Related Topics:
James Bond - Licence to Kill

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While the idea of a licence to kill is known to us from the James Bond novels and films, and has been used at least once by a headline writerhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,578501,00.html, in reality, the legitimacy of deadly force usage from country to country is generally controlled by statute law, particular and direct executive orders, the common law, or military rules of engagement.

Related Topics:
James Bond - Deadly force - Statute - Executive order - Common law - Rules of engagement

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The actual existence of a "licence to kill" is debated. Some feel that the term is a mere literary device, popularized by novels and films, while others believe that such a licence exists in at least some countries, whether in the military, police or counter-intelligence services. In the literary sense, the licence is presumed to be a discretionary one, distributed rarely and requiring extensive training to obtain, and it is only granted to a handful of covert agents of a state, in the interest of national security. The agent is not necessarily expected to kill the enemy as part of a mission, but may receive immunity from prosecution for doing so, if, in the agent's estimation, it is necessary to complete the mission.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In reality, such licences may run afoul of the laws of war: the covert agent would almost certainly be considered a spy or perhaps even a common criminal if murder is committed in a foreign country. For this reason, few governments, if any, are willing to disclose the existence of a licence to kill.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~