Host John Hamre interviews Stephen Preston, a senior lawyer in Washington. In government service, Stephen was the head lawyer for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. In this episode, Stephen discusses how democracies authorize the use of lethal force and how democracies control military and covert activities once initiated. This is a special challenge for democracies where the use of force must be consistent with democratic principles. Stephen offers a powerful tutorial on this vital dimension of American democracy.