'unlawful enemy combatants'
As I was watching this excellent film, I kept thinking about how timely many of its central issues were. Thomas' final summation, in which he described how the rules of engagement had changed given how the nature of the enemy had changed, really crystallized it. We are having these exact same discussions today, vis-a-vis the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Al-Qaeda, the war on terror, the rights of combatants and if/how they differ from the rights of soldiers, etc. And it is clear that there are no easier answers today than there were 100 years ago.