Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Law

When Do “Closed Camps” Become Prisons By Another Name?, Mara R, Revkin Jan 2022

When Do “Closed Camps” Become Prisons By Another Name?, Mara R, Revkin

Faculty Scholarship

There is an inherent tension between the widespread practice of establishing camps to provide temporary housing and humanitarian assistance to migrants and the fundamental human right to freedom of movement. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some degree of limitation on rights—including movement—is “the defining characteristic” of camps. International law permits states to impose some restrictions on the movement of migrants, including temporary confinement in “closed camps,” for lawful purposes, including identity verification and security screening in situations of war, emergency, or other grave and exceptional circumstances. But that permission is subject to important limitations: restrictions …


Targeting Of Persons: The Contemporary Challenges, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2018

Targeting Of Persons: The Contemporary Challenges, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Corporate Criminal Responsibility For Human Rights Violations: Jurisdiction And Reparations, Kenneth S. Gallant Jan 2017

Corporate Criminal Responsibility For Human Rights Violations: Jurisdiction And Reparations, Kenneth S. Gallant

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Accountability And Autonomous Weapons: Much Ado About Nothing?, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2016

Accountability And Autonomous Weapons: Much Ado About Nothing?, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

This purpose of this essay is to critique a 2015 report entitled Mind the Gap: The Lack of Accountability for Killer Robots by Human Rights Watch (HRW) produced with the assistance of the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC). The HRW/IHRC paper attempted to establish that autonomous weapons should be banned because, they claim, “neither criminal law nor civil law guarantees adequate accountability for individuals directly or indirectly involved in the use of fully autonomous systems.” Contrary to HRW/IHRC assertions, this article maintains that although no one can “guarantee” accountability, there are sufficient legal tools to do so …


The Evolution Of Law And Policy For Cia Targeted Killing, Afsheen John Radsan Jan 2012

The Evolution Of Law And Policy For Cia Targeted Killing, Afsheen John Radsan

Faculty Scholarship

Many critiques of the Central Intelligence Agency’s alleged use of killer drones depend on law that does not bind the United States or on contestable applications of uncertain facts to vague law. While acknowledging a blurry line between law and policy, we continue to develop a due process for targeted killing. In the real world, intelligence is sometimes faulty, mistakes occur, and peaceful civilians are at risk. International humanitarian law, which applies during armed conflicts, demands very little in the way of process beyond the admonition to take feasible precautions. Even so, the intelligence-driven nature of targeted killing, and the …


Do We Need New Regulations In International Humanitarian Law? One American’S Perspective, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2012

Do We Need New Regulations In International Humanitarian Law? One American’S Perspective, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


The Mottled Legacy Of 9/11: A Few Reflections On The Evolution Of The International Law Of Armed Conflict, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2011

The Mottled Legacy Of 9/11: A Few Reflections On The Evolution Of The International Law Of Armed Conflict, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Does Lawfare Need An Apologia?, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2010

Does Lawfare Need An Apologia?, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

Few concepts in international law are more controversial than lawfare. This essay contends that lawfare is best appreciated in the context of its original meaning as ideologically neutral description of how law might be used in armed conflict. It emphasizes that although law may be manipulated by some belligerents for nefarious purposes, it can still serve to limit human suffering in war. In discussing the current state of the concept of lawfare, the essay reviews several contentious areas, and recognizes the concerns of critics. The paper concludes that lawfare is still a useful term, and is optimized when it is …


Withdrawing From International Custom, Curtis A. Bradley, Mitu Gulati Jan 2010

Withdrawing From International Custom, Curtis A. Bradley, Mitu Gulati

Faculty Scholarship

Treaties are negotiated, usually written down, and often subject to cumbersome domestic ratification processes. Nonetheless, nations often have the right to withdraw unilaterally from them. By contrast, the conventional wisdom is that nations never have the legal right to withdraw unilaterally from the unwritten rules of customary international law (CIL), a proposition that we refer to as the “Mandatory View.” It is not obvious, however, why it should be easier to exit from treaties than from CIL, especially given the significant overlap that exists today between the regulatory coverage of treaties and CIL, as well as the frequent use of …


United States Detention Operations In Afghanistan And The Law Of Armed Conflict, Matthew C. Waxman Jan 2009

United States Detention Operations In Afghanistan And The Law Of Armed Conflict, Matthew C. Waxman

Faculty Scholarship

Looking back on US and coalition detention operations in Afghanistan to date, three key issues stand out: one substantive, one procedural and one policy. The substantive matter – what are the minimum baseline treatment standards required as a matter of international law? – has clarified significantly during the course of operations there, largely as a result of the US Supreme Court’s holding in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The procedural matter – what adjudicative processes does international law require for determining who may be detained? – eludes consensus and has become more controversial the longer the Afghan conflict continues. And the …


Gendered Subjects Of Transitional Justice, Katherine M. Franke Jan 2006

Gendered Subjects Of Transitional Justice, Katherine M. Franke

Faculty Scholarship

Transitional societies must contend with a range of complex challenges as they seek to come to terms with and move beyond an immediate past saturated with mass murder, rape, torture, exploitation, disappearance, displacement, starvation, and all other manner of human suffering. Questions of justice figure prominently in these transitional moments, and they do so in a dual fashion that is at once backward and forward looking. Successor governments must think creatively about building institutions that bring justice to the past, while at the same time demonstrate a commitment that justice will form a bedrock of governance in the present and …


Transitional Justice In Afghanistan : Confronting Violations Of International Humanitarian And Human Rights Law, Peter G. Danchin Jan 2001

Transitional Justice In Afghanistan : Confronting Violations Of International Humanitarian And Human Rights Law, Peter G. Danchin

Faculty Scholarship

After more than two decades of war and foreign interventions, including the US-led military campaign following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, Afghanistan has entered a period of transition and rebuilding. It thus joins a host of other countries—from South Africa to Sierra Leone to East Timor—which have sought in recent years to move from a repressive and violent past to a future based on democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights. In this respect, Afghanistan presents one of the most confronting case studies for the field of ‘transitional justice’. This article considers the question of …


Appeals In The Ad Hoc International Criminal Tribunals: Structure, Procedure, And Recent Cases, Mark A. Drumbl, Kenneth S. Gallant Jan 2001

Appeals In The Ad Hoc International Criminal Tribunals: Structure, Procedure, And Recent Cases, Mark A. Drumbl, Kenneth S. Gallant

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Law And Military Interventions: Preserving Humanitarian Values In 21st Conflicts, Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Jan 2001

Law And Military Interventions: Preserving Humanitarian Values In 21st Conflicts, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.