9/11 Saudi Arabia bill opens US to avalanche of lawsuits

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/09/13/saudi-arabia-bill-opens-avalanche-lawsuits/o7xOp2BBdAhd5caKv0GNpI/story.html

9/11 Saudi Arabia bill opens US to avalanche of lawsuits

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By Stephen Kinzer   boston globe - SEPT. 13, 2016

LAST WEEK, as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approached, members of Congress gathered on the Capitol steps to pray, followed by a rendition of “God Bless America.” Then, evidently energized, they went inside and passed a bill that would allow relatives of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its apparent support of the attackers. President Obama is likely to veto it. Emotion could lead Congress to override his veto. That would have a shattering effect on American and global politics.

Americans love to sue. Our society is one of the world’s most litigious. We have come to believe that almost anything can be adjudicated in court. That is lamentable at home, but applying the principle of tort liability to foreign policy is far more threatening. It opens the United States to an avalanche of lawsuits from victims of our actions around the world. https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/09/13/saudi-arabia-bill-opens-avalanche-lawsuits/o7xOp2BBdAhd5caKv0GNpI/story.html