Military, War, and Peace Commons^™

Lessons Of The Past And The Humanitarian Outreach Of Poland To Ukrainian Refugees, Karin Mika

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The reaction of Poland and its people is a refreshing departure from the historic blood rivalries of the past. This is similarly true of both Romania and Hungary; however, it is Poland that has absorbed the majority of Ukrainian refugees and Poland that has the most historically contentious relationship with Ukraine. Poland’s current humanitarian efforts with respect to its Ukrainian neighbors is evidence that some lessons have been learned from the past. Perhaps there is hope that some of the centuries old blood feuding can come to an end and countries can better work toward cooperative relationships in the future.

How Conscientious Objectors Killed The Draft: The Collapse Of The Selective Service During The Vietnam War, Bill Raley

Cleveland State Law Review

This Article argues that a key-but-overlooked factor in the Vietnam-era breakdown of the draft system was the Supreme Court’s expansion of the religious conscientious objector ("CO") exemption. It asserts that the Court understood that the CO exemption violated the Establishment Clause, but rather than strike the exemption down, the Court avoided the constitutional issue by interpreting away the religious element of CO statutes. The Article concludes that the Court’s rulings caused CO exemptions to skyrocket, which in turn caused the draft system to collapse toward the end of the Vietnam War.

The Cold Vacuum Of Arms Control In Outer Space: Can Existing Law Make Some Anti-Satellite Weapons Illegal?, Jeffrey A. Murphy

Cleveland State Law Review

The current space law paradigm came into existence when two major national powers were vying for supremacy after a catastrophic world war. The nuclear age had dawned. The United Nations drafted and ratified the Outer Space Treaty under these conditions with limited foresight to the specific nature of future space activities. As more nations and private actors enter the space arena, the nature of the weapons used in space has changed, and the number of targets and opportunities for collateral damage has greatly increased.

This Note looks at the weapons aimed at space and the laws that try to govern …

The Faces Of The Second Amendment Outside The Home, Take Three: Critiquing The Circuit Courts Use Of History-In-Law, Patrick J. Charles

Cleveland State Law Review

This article seeks to critique the circuit courts’ varying history-in-law approaches, as well as to provide advice on the proper role that history-in-law plays when examining the scope of the Second Amendment outside the home. This article sets forth to accomplish this task in three parts. Part I argues why history-in-law is appropriate when adjudicating Second Amendment decisions outside the home. Part II examines the benefits and burdens of utilizing history-in-law as a method of constitutional interpretation, while breaking down the alternative approaches employed by circuit courts when adjudicating Second Amendment decisions outside the home. Lastly, Part III offers practical …

Righting A Wrong: Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, And The Espionage Act Prosecutions, David Forte

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This is a story of excess and reparation. It is a chronicle of one President from the elite intellectual classes of the East, and another from a county seat in the heartland. Woodrow Wilson was the college president whose contribution to the art of government lay in the principle of expertise and efficiency. When he went to war, he turned the machinery of government into a comprehensive and highly effective instrument for victory. For Wilson, it followed that there could be little tolerance for those who impeded the success of American arms by their anti-war propaganda, draft resistance, or ideological …

Whatever Happened To Military Good Order And Discipline?, Colonel Jeremy S. Weber

Cleveland State Law Review

Discipline is often called “the soul of an army.” If this is so, the United States military seems to be experiencing a spiritual crisis. Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) allows commanders to punish acts prejudicial to “good order and discipline,” but the reach of this provision has been increasingly limited in recent years. Appellate courts have repeatedly overturned convictions of conduct charged as prejudicial to good order and discipline, and in recent years, the military’s high court has issued a series of decisions limiting the reach of the UCMJ’s “general article.” Congress has also recently …

The Karadžić Genocide Conviction: Inferences, Intent, And The Necessity To Redefine Genocide, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article first discusses and analyzes the Genocide Convention and its strict definition of genocide and the "intent" requirement. It then focuses on the evolution of this definition in light of the recent Karadžić case. This Article demonstrates that in modern-day conflicts, the finding of genocidal intent may be an impossible task for the prosecution and that the ICTY Trial Chamber’s method of inferring intent based on knowledge and other indirect factors may be the only way that prosecutors will be able to obtain future genocide convictions. This Article then discusses a possible re-drafting and re-conceptualizing of the genocide definition …

Individual Criminal Responsibility For The Destruction Of Religious And Historic Buildings: The Al Mahdi Case, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, also known as Abou Tourab, was a member of the radical Islamic group Ansar Eddine, serving as one of four commanders during its brutal occupation of Timbuktu in 2012. The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted Al Mahdi on several charges of war crimes for intentional attacks against ten religious and historic buildings and monuments. All the buildings that Al Mahdi was charged with attacking had been under UNESCO protection and most had been listed as world heritage sites.

The case against Al Mahdi at the ICC unfolded relatively quickly and efficiently, from the official Malian …

President Obama's Legacy: The Iran Nuclear Agreement?, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Iran, the United States, and several world super-powers signed a historic nuclear agreement over the summer of 2015. The Agreement is a comprehensive plan of action, with an unprecedented level of minutia and detail regarding Iran’s commitment to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of United Nations-imposed sanctions against Iran. This Agreement, if it is successfully implemented, may represent President Obama’s most significant foreign policy achievement and may become the most important element of President Obama's legacy.

This article examines the Iran Nuclear Agreement by focusing on the events that led to the imposition of sanctions against …

The Covert Use Of Drones: How Secrecy Undermines Oversight And Accountability, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Under the Obama Administration, the number of drone strikes has sharply increased, prompting criticism and concern. As one commentator has noted, “[u]nder Obama, drone strikes have become too frequent, too unilateral, and too much associated with the heavy-handed use of American power.” Many scholars have focused on the legal issues arising from the use of drones, analyzing their legality under applicable law of self-defense, as well as under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

This Article highlights another problematic aspect of the current American use of drones, which is secrecy. As will be argued below, because a large …

Book Review: Analyzing The Effectiveness Of The Tallinn Manual’S Jus Ad Bellum Doctrine On Cyberconflict,: A Nato-Centric Approach, Terence Check

Cleveland State Law Review

Review of: Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, Michael Schmitt, ed., New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Humanitarian Intervention Post-Syria: Legitimate And Legal?, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article looks at the state of affairs under international law by focusing on the existing ban on the use of force and the established exceptions thereto as of December 2014. Topics discussed include the concept of humanitarian intervention, the civil crises in Syria, and international law for the legality of military intervention in Syria. It also examines Harold Koh's proposed normative framework for humanitarian intervention.

Juvenile Pirates: "Lost Boys" Or Violent Criminals?, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has flourished over the past decade, and has both caused a global crisis in maritime shipping and destabilized regional security in East Africa. In addition, piracy attacks have spread more recently to the coast of West Africa, and in particular, the Gulf of Guinea. Thus, piracy is an ongoing global issue that should continue to occupy many maritime nations in the near future, and one that should command continuous scholarly attention.

This article examines the issue of juvenile piracy, with a specific focus on the treatment of juvenile piracy suspects by both the capturing …

The United States' Use Of Drones In The War On Terror: The (Il)Legality Of Targeted Killings Under International Law, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States government began to use drones against al-Qaeda targets. According to several media reports, the United States developed two parallel drone programs: one operated by the military, and one operated in secrecy by the CIA. Under the Obama Administration, the latter program developed and- the number of drone attacks in countries such as Pakistan and Yemen has steadily increased. Because the drone program is operated covertly by the CIA, it has been impossible to determine the precise contours of the program, its legal and normative framework, and whether its operators …

Katyn Forest Massacre: Of Genocide, State Lies, And Secrecy, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The Soviet secret police murdered thousands of Poles near the Katyn Forest, just outside the Russian city of Smolensk, in the early spring of 1940. The Soviets targeted members of the Polish intelligentsia-military officers, doctors, engineers, police officers, and teachers-which Stalin, the Soviet leader, sought to eradicate preventively. At the start of World War II, the Soviet Union viewed Poland as attractive territory, to be conquered and potentially annexed after the war. The Katyn massacre was not discovered until 1943, by the Germans, who instantly blamed the Soviets. The latter, however, blamed the Germans, and the Western Allies begrudgingly accepted …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In The Military: The Need For Legislative Improvement Of Mental Health Care For Veterans Of Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Madeline Mcgrane

Journal of Law and Health

This Note argues that legislation requiring improved mental health treatment for veterans of OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) is necessary to protect American service members from the dangers of mental illness. In order to prevent crimes and suicides committed by veterans of OIF and OEF as a result of undiagnosed PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), the United States Congress should enact legislation imposing requirements on all branches of the military that: 1) mandates screening of all veterans at risk for PTSD upon their return from deployment; 2) ensures veterans are provided with adequate and timely mental healthcare; …

The Somali Piracy Problem: A Global Puzzle Necessitating A Global Solution, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Over the past few years, piracy has exploded off the coast of Somalia. Somali pirates congregate on a "mother ship" and then divide into smaller groups that sail out on tiny skiffs. Using potent weapons such as AK-47s and hand-propelled grenades, Somali pirates attack civilian ships carrying cargo through the Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Yemen and Somalia. Once they have overtaken the victim vessel, the pirates typically hijack the vessel's cargo and kidnap the crewmembers. The cargo is often resold to willing buyers or held for ransom. The crew are kept hostage in Somalia until either …

Information Warfare: The Legal Aspects Of Using Satellites And Jamming Technologies In Propaganda Battles, Mark J. Sundahl

Law Faculty Contributions to Books

This paper examines the right of states to broadcast propaganda by satellite in times of war. In exploring this issue, the author addresses the hypothetical question of whether a state may use DBS technology to broadcast a commercial news program, such as CNN, into an enemy state in wartime as part of a larger campaign to win the support of the civilian population. The author begins by establishing that that the consent of a receiving state is required prior to such broadcasts, whether in peacetime or in times of war. This requirement of "prior consent" is the only restriction of …

Military Justice In The South, 1865-1868: South Carolina As A Test Case , Thomas D. Morris

Cleveland State Law Review

The end of Reconstruction involved an intricate interplay of legal rights and remedies with a bloody mix of racial violence. That is another story. What I have endeavored to address here is the role of the military in the first few years following the military defeat and surrender of the Confederacy.

Disguising Empire: Racialized Masculinity And The Civilizing Of Iraq, Nancy Ehrenreich

Cleveland State Law Review

I will argue here that the rhetoric used by the Bush administration (and the media) to sell U.S. military aggression to the American public has played upon the gender insecurities and racial biases of the population. To be more specific, it has reinforced a racialized national sense of masculinity by playing on the association of maleness with violent domination of people of color - domination seen as laudable because it is undertaken "for their own good." In so doing, it has also reinforced the message that the way for people of color in this country to become true "Americans" is …

It's Time To Put The Military's Death Penalty To Sleep , Michael I. Spak

Cleveland State Law Review

Part I will focus on the death penalty in the civilian sector of the United States. It begins with a brief history of and an introduction to death penalty laws in the United States. A critical examination of the primary arguments used to justify the death penalty follows. Part I next offers a brief overview of other independent reasons for the abolition of the death penalty. After having concluded that the application of the death penalty is unfair in the civilian sector and should thus be abolished, the article will then shift its focus to the death penalty in the …

Sexual Harassment In The Military: Time For A Change Of Forum , Michael I. Spak, Jonathan P. Tomes

Cleveland State Law Review

This article will review the current status of sexual harassment in the military, discuss why courts-martial are ineffective in punishing and deterring sexual harassment, and suggest that permitting sexual harassment claims in a forum other than the military justice system would help deter future sexual harassment in the military at no greater cost to military discipline and preparedness than is inherent in the current system.

The Health And Welfare Of The Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation, Neal Atway

Journal of Law and Health

This note will attempt to give a brief background on how the West Bank and Gaza Strip became the "occupied territories", analyze the treatment of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, and interpret the international law that relates to those territories, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention and the United Nations Resolutions which address the protection of the health and well-being of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

De-Coupling The Military/Industrial Complex - The Liability Of Weapons Makers For Injuries To Servicemen, Barry Kellman

Cleveland State Law Review

This Article is about the military contractor defense: the legal doctrine which insulates weapons makers from liability to servicemen for injuries caused by defectively designed weapons. Essentially, the military contractor defense shields weapons makers from state product liability law because of fears that operation of that law will cause the judiciary to trespass into the military sphere. This Article suggests that the military contractor defense constitutes a rejection of the judicial role in regulating procurement. This rejection is an unwarranted step in favor of an overgrown military establishment. The theme of this Article is that military policy is something which …

Wrongful Fraternization As An Offense Under The Uniform Code Of Military Justice, Margaret A. Mcdevitt

Cleveland State Law Review

In view of the desire of the armed services to continue to prosecute fraternization and continued judicial sanctioning, this Note undertakes an analysis of the fraternization prohibition in order to illustrate the current problems. The first part of this Note proposes that the evolution of the prohibition demonstrates that fraternization has become exclusively a disciplinary offense. The development of the offense over the years also shows that the failure of the military to define the offense precisely by regulation or article allowed military courts to construct varying and confusing definitions. The second part of the Note analyzes the validity of …

Wrongful Fraternization As An Offense Under The Uniform Code Of Military Justice, Margaret A. Mcdevitt

Cleveland State Law Review

In view of the desire of the armed services to continue to prosecute fraternization and continued judicial sanctioning, this Note undertakes an analysis of the fraternization prohibition in order to illustrate the current problems. The first part of this Note proposes that the evolution of the prohibition demonstrates that fraternization has become exclusively a disciplinary offense. The development of the offense over the years also shows that the failure of the military to define the offense precisely by regulation or article allowed military courts to construct varying and confusing definitions. The second part of the Note analyzes the validity of …

Conscientious Objection To War: The Background And A Current Appraisal, Richard P. Fox

Cleveland State Law Review

This article reviews the legal history of conscientious objection to war in the United States. Then the current status of the law and the 1982 Selective Service Regulations are discussed and appraised. It is hoped that some of the popular misconceptions regarding conscientious objection will be dissipated by this article.

War Tax Refusal: Some Code Problems, William Tabac

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Throughout our history, many individuals and groups have employed tax refusal to make their points. Frustration with government policies and cynicism about the leaders who create them are driving more and more Americans toward radical forms of dissent. Civil disobedience is on the increase and struggling for status among protestors. So far attacks against the "establishment," its mores and property, have alternated between passive law breaking, such as tax and draft refusal, to the increasingly commonplace destruction of that which the protestors detests. But the mix is not equal, and this is demonstrated dramatically in the case of tax refusal. …

The Military And The Law, James K. Gaynor

Cleveland State Law Review

Military law is the law which governs members of the Armed Services and, to some extent, the relations of other persons with the Armed Services. Military law often is thought of as synonymous with court-martial, but that is not correct. The number of people who will be involved in a court-martial during a year-either as an accused, or as one having duties in connection with a court-likely will be less than two percent of any large military organization. Members of the military service, however, are involved with military law every day in the year. It governs the way in which …

Military Law And The Miranda Requirements, Gaylord L. Finch

Cleveland State Law Review

The purpose of this article is to examine the Code and its effectiveness in dealing with the military accused in the area of criminal procedure. Emphasis will be placed on the serviceman's right to counsel, the serviceman's Fifth Amendment privilege against self incrimination and the scope of the Bill of Rights when applied to the serviceman. The discussion will be limited to the relationship of the military to its own personnel.