The Foreign Service Journal, October 2003

don’t know and I don’t care,” Richard Gladden, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington, Va., replied, in essence, when asked his opinion on why so many other countries have given up the death penalty and are so critical of America for not doing the same. Mr. Gladden and I were among the speakers at a February 2003 debate on capital punishment sponsored by The Committee of 100, an Arlington citizens group. I, a retired FSO, was the out-and-out opponent of the death penal- ty, while Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County Richard Conway presented the pro-death O C T O B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 43 F O C U S O N D I P L O M A C Y & T H E D E A T H P E N A L T Y “ I A D ECENT R ESPECT TO THE O PINIONS OF M ANKIND A MERICA ’ S CONTINUING ATTACHMENT TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT PUTS US FAR OUT OF STEP WITH MOST OF “ THE CIVILIZED WORLD .” B Y P AUL P. B LACKBURN Adam Niklewicz