'' Targeted Killings : Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World '' is a non-fiction compilation book about targeted killing edited by Claire Finkelstein , Jens David Ohlin , and Andrew Altman . It was published by Oxford University Press in 2012 . The book grew out of contributions by the authors to a conference in April 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania Law School . '' Targeted Killings '' features eighteen essays in five sections arranged by topic . The work argues that after the 11 September attacks by Al-Qaeda in 2001 , the United States and other countries began to see the tactic of targeted killing differently . The practice of targeted killing had previously been accepted in situations of self-defence in military settings ; after 11 September 2001 it was used to kill non-combatants and those not directly involved in a particular armed force
11 September attacks
September 11 attacks
Targeted Killings: Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World