US government

Today, 15 years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the US House of Representatives (here is a chart that explains where the House sits in US government), has passed a bill that would allow victims of terrorist attacks to sue other countries for their alleged involvement. The bill stems from families of 9/11 victims wanting to sue Saudi Arabia on the basis that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi.

Historically, the US has barred lawsuits against foreign governments, and for good reason. According to the various documentaries out there, we can’t be certain who is in fact responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and certainly allowing US citizens to sue other nations would open up the floodgates for other countries to sue the United States for their significant and often fatal involvement in international conflicts.

While the bill does have broad bipartisan support from both sides of the House, Obama has said he will veto the bill. Then Congress has said they will veto his veto, or look to override it with the needed support from two-thirds of the lawmakers in the House, as well as in the Senate.

Read the original article by Kristina Peterson, published in The Wall Street Journal on September 9, 2016.

Feature image of the US House of Representatives via thinkinghighways.com