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Full-Text Articles in Law

International Law And Ungoverned Space, Matthew Hoisington May 2013

International Law And Ungoverned Space, Matthew Hoisington

Matthew Hoisington

Ungoverned spaces, strictly defined as “spaces not effectively governed by the state” exist all over the world, presenting particular difficulties to public international law, which is historically premised on sovereignty and state control. Examples of such spaces include cyberspace, south-central Somalia and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border. These spaces destabilize the international system in novel ways—and they might also be dangerous. Many of the terrorism plots from the late twentieth and early twenty-first century emanated from “safe havens” afforded by ungoverned spaces. The lack of governance over certain spaces also raises concerns over development, including the …


International Law And Ungoverned Space, Matthew Hoisington Jan 2013

International Law And Ungoverned Space, Matthew Hoisington

Matthew Hoisington

Ungoverned spaces, strictly defined as “spaces not effectively governed by the state” exist all over the world, presenting particular difficulties to public international law, which is historically premised on sovereignty and state control. Examples of such spaces include cyberspace, south-central Somalia and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border. These spaces destabilize the international system in novel ways—and they might also be dangerous. Many of the terrorism plots from the late twentieth and early twenty-first century emanated from “safe havens” afforded by ungoverned spaces. The lack of governance over certain spaces also raises concerns over development, including the …


Doctrines Of Equivalence? A Critical Comparison Of The Instrumentalization Of International Humanitarian Law And The Islamic Jus In Bello For The Purposes Of Targeting, Matthew Hoisington Apr 2012

Doctrines Of Equivalence? A Critical Comparison Of The Instrumentalization Of International Humanitarian Law And The Islamic Jus In Bello For The Purposes Of Targeting, Matthew Hoisington

Matthew Hoisington

This article addresses the instrumentalization of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the Islamic jus in bello for the purposes of targeting. It begins with an examination of the radical innovations in the Islamic jus in bello that resulted in its instrumentalization by al Qaeda and other Islamic armed groups in the name of jihad. It then addresses the key legal arguments of the U.S.-led response, particularly in the post-9/11 period. Finally, it offers a critical appraisal of the use of targeting rules to justify killing by both sides. The conclusion summarizes the argument and comments on the dangers of legal …


Cyberwarfare And The Use Of Force Giving Rise To The Right Of Self-Defense, Matthew Hoisington May 2009

Cyberwarfare And The Use Of Force Giving Rise To The Right Of Self-Defense, Matthew Hoisington

Matthew Hoisington

Cyberwarfare represents a novel weapon that has the potential to alter the way state and non-state actors conduct modern war. The unique nature of the threat and the ability for cyberwar practioners to inflict injury, death, and physical destruction via cyberspace strains traditional definitions of the use of force. In order to clearly delineate the rights of the parties involved, including the right to self-defense, the international community must come to some consensus on the meaning of cyberwarfare within the existing jus ad bellum paradigm. After examining the shortcomings inherent in classifying cyberattacks according to classical notions of kinetic warfare, …