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Full-Text Articles in Law
Autonomy And Precautions In The Law Of Armed Conflict, Eric Talbot Jensen
Autonomy And Precautions In The Law Of Armed Conflict, Eric Talbot Jensen
International Law Studies
Already a controversial topic, legal debate and broader discussions concerning the amount of human control required in the employment of autonomous weapons—including autonomous cyber capabilities—continues. These discussions, particularly those taking place among States that are Parties to the 1980 Certain Conventional Weapons Convention, reveal a complete lack of consensus on the requirement of human control and serve to distract from the more important question with respect to autonomy in armed conflict: under what conditions could autonomous weapons “select” and “attack” targets in a manner that complies with the law of armed conflict (LOAC).
This article analyzes the specific LOAC rules …
Strategic Proportionality: Limitations On The Use Of Force In Modern Armed Conflicts, Noam Lubell, Amichai Cohen
Strategic Proportionality: Limitations On The Use Of Force In Modern Armed Conflicts, Noam Lubell, Amichai Cohen
International Law Studies
The nature of modern armed conflicts, combined with traditional interpretations of proportionality, poses serious challenges to the jus ad bellum goal of limiting and controlling wars. In between the jus ad bellum focus on decisions to use force, and the international humanitarian law (IHL) regulation of specific attacks, there is a far-reaching space in which the regulatory role of international law is bereft of much needed clarity. Perhaps the most striking example is in relation to overall casualties of war. If the jus ad bellum is understood as applying to the opening moments of the conflict, then it cannot provide …
Armed Groups And The Protection Of Health Care, Ezequiel Heffes
Armed Groups And The Protection Of Health Care, Ezequiel Heffes
International Law Studies
That armed groups have been responsible for attacks against health care personnel and for violating the protection of health care is not news. This is one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of contemporary armed conflict. Armed groups, however, have also attempted to evacuate and treat wounded enemy fighters and civilians and, in certain contexts, they have even provided health care services for the civilian population living in the territories under their control. This article describes some of the key issues related to the variation of armed groups’ behaviors when dealing with the protection of health care, inquiring into why some …
Medical Care In Urban Conflict, Kenneth Watkin
Medical Care In Urban Conflict, Kenneth Watkin
International Law Studies
The potential for urban violence is increasing as the world population continues to migrate towards cities. Recent examples of urban warfare with insurgent groups has occurred in Damascus, Mosul, Raqqa, Marawi, Ramadi, and Fallujah, although non-State actor conflict covers a wide range of violence from ordinary crime, to terrorism and transnational crime, to near conventional conflict. Further, transnational terrorist groups have sought to extend the conflict into countries seen as the “far enemy.” A key issue is determining if an armed conflict is in existence so that the protective focus of international humanitarian law regarding the provision of medical care …
Duty To Render Assistance To Mariners In Distress During Armed Conflict At Sea: A U.S. Perspective, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo
Duty To Render Assistance To Mariners In Distress During Armed Conflict At Sea: A U.S. Perspective, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo
International Law Studies
In 2017, the International Committee of the Red Cross published an updated Commentary on the Second Geneva Convention. One question left unanswered by the new Commentary is the relationship between international humanitarian law and other international treaties applicable to the maritime domain, such as the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and treaties adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Second Geneva Convention establishes a legal framework for the humane treatment and protection of victims of armed conflict at sea—the wounded, sick and shipwrecked. There are circumstances, however, in which the belligerents do not have the …
The International Legal Implications Of Military Space Operations: Examining The Interplay Between International Humanitarian Law And The Outer Space Legal Regime, Dale Stephens
International Law Studies
In the contemporary period, many military forces rely heavily on space-based assets to conduct operations across a wide spectrum of contexts. Such reliance necessarily exposes a correlative vulnerability that such assets may be degraded or destroyed, especially in a time of armed conflict. However, the legal framework that governs military action in space during a time of armed conflict is not well explored. This article examines the interaction between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Outer Space legal regime. Harmonization of legal regimes is a goal of any reconciliation project, although such harmonization may not always be readily possible. In …
Japan’S 2015 Security Legislation: Challenges To Its Implementation Under International Law, Hitoshi Nasu
Japan’S 2015 Security Legislation: Challenges To Its Implementation Under International Law, Hitoshi Nasu
International Law Studies
Japan’s new security legislation, enacted on September 30, 2015 amid fierce debate over its constitutionality, is designed to enable a “seamless response” to any security situation that may arise. While public debate has been fixated on the re-interpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which underpins the theoretical foundation of this new legislation, there are also important international law issues that need to be addressed. After briefly reviewing the historical background leading to the adoption of the new security legislation and its contents, this article examines how the Self-Defense Force (SDF) can respond with the use of force to …
International Law, Legal Diplomacy, And The Counter-Isil Campaign: Some Observations, Brian Egan
International Law, Legal Diplomacy, And The Counter-Isil Campaign: Some Observations, Brian Egan
International Law Studies
Speech as prepared for delivery by Brian Egan, Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State; 110th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law Washington, DC, April 1, 2016
The Combatant’S Stance: Autonomous Weapons On The Battlefield, Jens David Ohlin
The Combatant’S Stance: Autonomous Weapons On The Battlefield, Jens David Ohlin
International Law Studies
Do Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) qualify as moral or rational agents? This paper argues that combatants on the battlefield are required by the demands of behavior interpretation to approach a sophisticated AWS with the “Combatant’s Stance”—the ascription of mental states required to understand the system’s strategic behavior on the battlefield. However, the fact that an AWS must be engaged with the combatant’s stance does not entail that other persons are relieved of criminal or moral responsibility for war crimes committed by autonomous weapons. This article argues that military commanders can and should be held responsible for perpetrating war crimes through …
Nanotechnology And The Future Of The Law Of Weaponry, Hitoshi Nasu
Nanotechnology And The Future Of The Law Of Weaponry, Hitoshi Nasu
International Law Studies
Novel applications of nanotechnology for military purposes are expected to have a transformative impact on the way in which wars can be fought in the future battlespace, with the potential to drive changes to the law of weaponry. This article considers the potential of military applications of nanotechnology to bring changes to the existing principles and rules of weapons law. It specifically focuses on the likelihood that more sophisticated, miniaturized and tailored weapons and weapon systems will be produced that enable mechanical precision of targeting with no or few civilian casualties.
Applying The European Convention On Human Rights To The Use Of Physical Force: Al-Saadoon, David S. Goddard
Applying The European Convention On Human Rights To The Use Of Physical Force: Al-Saadoon, David S. Goddard
International Law Studies
In Al-Saadoon and Others v. Secretary of State for Defence, the High Court of Justice of England and Wales has found that the United Kingdom’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) can be activated extraterritorially simply through the use by State agents of physical force against an individual. This article explains the judgment and places it in the context of the development of the law both in the United Kingdom and at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). While it remains subject to appeal domestically and its approach may not be followed by the ECtHR, …
The Combatant Status Of The “Little Green Men” And Other Participants In The Ukraine Conflict, Shane R. Reeves, David Wallace
The Combatant Status Of The “Little Green Men” And Other Participants In The Ukraine Conflict, Shane R. Reeves, David Wallace
International Law Studies
As an occupation and a civil war are simultaneously taking place in Ukraine a particularly vexing international law question is presented: what is the legal status of those involved in the hostilities? This article is designed to answer that question and to identify the associated rights, duties and responsibilities of the participants in the conflict.
Conflict Classification In Ukraine: The Return Of The “Proxy War”?, Robert Heinsch
Conflict Classification In Ukraine: The Return Of The “Proxy War”?, Robert Heinsch
International Law Studies
The article examines the exact conditions for classifying an armed conflict under international humanitarian law against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine, taking into account the difficult factual situation on the ground and the involvement of the different parties to the conflict. Apart from dealing with the requirements of an international or a non-international armed conflict, it looks again into the specific circumstances for the “internationalization” of an internal armed conflict. In doing so, the author revisits the various approaches found in the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice in its 1986 Nicaragua and 2007 Genocide judgments, as …
State Opinio Juris And International Humanitarian Law Pluralism, Michael N. Schmitt, Sean Watts
State Opinio Juris And International Humanitarian Law Pluralism, Michael N. Schmitt, Sean Watts
International Law Studies
International humanitarian law has developed through a pluralistic process. Its history reveals a pattern of rough proportionality between State opinio juris and non-State expressions of law. These diverse sources have maintained a respectable yet realistic balance between humanity and military necessity. However, current IHL dialogue presents a stark contrast to the vibrant and pluralistic exchanges of the past. The substantive input of non-State actors such as non-governmental organizations, tribunals, and scholars far outpaces the work of States. Parity of input, especially in quantitative terms, is surely too much to demand and surely not necessary given the special status of State …
The United States’ Position On The Extraterritorial Application Of Human Rights Obligations: Now Is The Time For Change, Beth Van Schaack
The United States’ Position On The Extraterritorial Application Of Human Rights Obligations: Now Is The Time For Change, Beth Van Schaack
International Law Studies
This article contends that in the upcoming Human Rights Committee proceedings, the U.S. should abandon the categorical argument that its human rights obligations do not apply extraterritorially in favor of a more nuanced approach that reflects the majority position reached by the range of human rights treaty bodies and courts as well as the legal framework applicable to our coalition partners and other allies. The U.S. failure to acknowledge limited, well-established, and principled exceptions to a strictly territorial application of its human rights obligations ultimately undermines the legitimacy of other, more efficacious, arguments at its disposal—such as its position on …
Debating The Issues, Kenneth Roth, Robert F. Turner
Debating The Issues, Kenneth Roth, Robert F. Turner
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Military Commissions - Kangaroo Courts?, Charles H.B. Garraway
Military Commissions - Kangaroo Courts?, Charles H.B. Garraway
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Iraq's Transformation And International Law, Ruth Wedgwood
Iraq's Transformation And International Law, Ruth Wedgwood
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Iraq And The Law Of Armed Conflict, Thomas M. Franck
Iraq And The Law Of Armed Conflict, Thomas M. Franck
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
International Law And The 2003 Campaign Against Iraq, Nicholas Rostow
International Law And The 2003 Campaign Against Iraq, Nicholas Rostow
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Legal And Tactical Dilemmas Inherit In Fighting Terror: Experience Of The Israeli Army In Jenin And Bethlehem (April-May 2002), Alan Baker
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Full Volume 80: Issues In International Law And Military Operations
Full Volume 80: Issues In International Law And Military Operations
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
International Humanitarian Law: Should It Be Reaffirmed, Clarified, Or Developed?, Jean-Phillippe Lavoyer
International Humanitarian Law: Should It Be Reaffirmed, Clarified, Or Developed?, Jean-Phillippe Lavoyer
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Coaltion Operations And The Law, M.H. Macdougall
Coaltion Operations And The Law, M.H. Macdougall
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Special Forces' Wear Of Non-Standard Uniforms, W. Hays Park
Special Forces' Wear Of Non-Standard Uniforms, W. Hays Park
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Jus In Bello Issues Arising In The Hostilities In Iraq In 2003, Yoram Dinstein
Jus In Bello Issues Arising In The Hostilities In Iraq In 2003, Yoram Dinstein
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.
Unlawful Combatancy, Yoram Dinstein
Full Volume 79: International Law And The War On Terror
Full Volume 79: International Law And The War On Terror
International Law Studies
No abstract provided.