Law Commons^™

Politics Across Borders: Nonintervention And Nonforcible Influence Over Domestic Affairs, Lori Fisler Damrosch

Faculty Scholarship

It is time for a fresh look at the norm of nonintervention in domestic affairs, as applied to nonforcible efforts to influence another state's internal politics. The existence of such a norm is widely proclaimed, and it is commonly assumed to be a legal obligation rather than a mere practice of comity or aspirational objective. For governments, scholars and international organs alike, the "rule" against interference in internal politics seems to be an article of faith; but despite the frequency of its incantation in international discourse, how the norm applies to nonforcible conduct is inadequately understood.

This article considers the …

Covert Operations, Lori Fisler Damrosch

Faculty Scholarship

As the Constitution begins its third century, the system of congressional oversight of covert action is only in its second decade. In the ancient history of covert action – before the intelligence oversight reforms of the l 970s – Congress did not involve itself in covert operations. After giving the Central Intelligence Agency standing authority to "perform such other functions and duties related to intelligence affecting the national security as the National Security Council may from time to time direct," Congress paid little attention to what the Executive did under this authority. The era of congressional noninvolvement came to an …