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Full-Text Articles in Military, War, and Peace
A Behavioral Economic Approach To Nuclear Disarmament Advocacy, Alexander S. Rinn
A Behavioral Economic Approach To Nuclear Disarmament Advocacy, Alexander S. Rinn
Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
Nuclear disarmament advocates have provided a strong moral voice for the total disarmament of nuclear weapons, but if they are to remain credible participants in the disarmament process, they must redouble their efforts to assist in the difficult technical and political obstacles that stand in the way of a world without nuclear weapons. This Note first outlines impediments to disarmament towards which advocates could helpfully direct their attention, such as: conventional force imbalances; developing "proliferation-safe" civil nuclear technologies; enforcing nonproliferation obligations; and verifying nuclear disarmament. Second, it explains how tools from behavioral economics and negotiation theory could inform a more …
Losing The Forest For The Trees: Syria, Law, And The Pragmatics Of Conflict Recognition, Laurie R. Blank, Geoffrey S. Corn
Losing The Forest For The Trees: Syria, Law, And The Pragmatics Of Conflict Recognition, Laurie R. Blank, Geoffrey S. Corn
Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
The situation in Syria has the potential to become a pivotal moment in the development of the law of armed conflict (LOAC). The ongoing brutality serves as a reminder of the importance of extending international humanitarian regulation into the realm of non-international armed hostilities; however, the very chaos those hostilities produce reveals critical fault lines in the current approach to determining the existence of an armed conflict. The international community's year-long reluctance to characterize the situation in Syria as an armed conflict highlights a clear disparity between the object and purpose of the LOAC and the increasingly formalistic interpretation of …
Proportionality In Military Force At War's Multiple Levels: Averting Civilian Casualties Vs. Safeguarding Soldiers, Ziv Bohrer, Mark Osiel
Proportionality In Military Force At War's Multiple Levels: Averting Civilian Casualties Vs. Safeguarding Soldiers, Ziv Bohrer, Mark Osiel
Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
To what lengths may a state go to protect its soldiers in war? May it design its military operations to further that goal if this significantly increases civilian casualties? International law currently offers no clear answers. Because recent wars have seen many states prioritize soldier safety over avoiding civilian casualties, spirited debate has arisen over the legal defensibility of this practice. This debate currently focuses on an ethics code proposed by two influential Israeli thinkers and allegedly embodied in Israel's conduct of its 2008-2009 Gaza war with Hamas. This Article shows that current discussion fails to appreciate how judgments about …