International Humanitarian Law Commons^™

Contracted Wars, Compromised Oversight: Private Military Companies In Iraq, Afghanistan, And The Decline Of U.S. Accountability Standards, Brianna N. Buzzell

International Studies (MA) Theses

The Global War on Terror, beginning in 2001, started U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, facilitating the expansion of Private Military Contractors (PMCs) through a combination of operational necessity, strategic policy decisions, and systemic oversight failures. Despite their growing role, PMCs operate in legal and oversight grey zones. Despite a growing body of work on PMC accountability, there remains little agreement on how U.S. military interventions created conditions for their proliferation. This paper examines how U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan facilitated the expansion of PMC influence, resulting in reduced oversight and accountability for both the U.S. government …

Intending The Worst: The Case Of Isis’S Specific Intent To Destroy The Christians Of Iraq, Eric Osborne, Matthew Dowd, Ryan Mcbrearty

Pepperdine Law Review

Genocide has been called the “crime of crimes.” That superlative is well-stated. Genocide is the intentional destruction of an entire people—a worse crime is almost beyond comprehension. The very word conjures some of the most horrific images in recorded history. And yet our legal understanding of this most-important crime is limited. Because the crime of genocide requires specific intent, even horrific atrocities will not qualify as genocide as a matter of law if done for a purpose other than the intended destruction of a target group. Thus whether actions qualify as genocide and what type of evidence is sufficient to …

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

Foreign Terrorist Fighters In Syria: Challenges Of The “Sending” State, Marten Zwanenburg

International Law Studies

This article discusses domestic measures taken by the Netherlands to combat the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, predominantly in the context of the Syrian conflict. It discusses criminal prosecution, asset freezes, deprivation of nationality and revocation of travel documents. The author concludes that in each of these fields, there is a close relationship between international law and national law.

How The War Against Isis Changed International Law, Michael P. Scharf

Faculty Publications

In an effort to destroy ISIS, beginning in August 2014, the United States, assisted by a handful of other Western and Arab countries, carried out thousands of bombing sorties and cruise missile attacks against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Iraq had consented to the airstrikes in its territory, but Syria had not, and Russia blocked the UN Security Council from authorizing force against ISIS in Syria. The United States invoked several different legal arguments to justify its airstrikes, including the right of humanitarian intervention, the right to use force in a failed state, and the right of hot pursuit, …

Protecting Cultural Property In Non-International Armed Conflicts: Syria And Iraq, Louise Arimatsu, Mohbuba Choudhury

International Law Studies

The deliberate destruction by ISIS of religious and cultural property in both Syria and Iraq sparked widespread international condemnation and was described by UNESCO’s Director-General as constituting war crimes. Regrettably, the damage to and destruction of such property has become an all too common feature of the conflicts that have engulfed both States. The authors examine the legal obligations that apply to the parties in non-international armed conflict and the consequences of non-compliance. In light of the scale of the human suffering engendered by the conflicts, the authors first ask why international law protects such property in armed conflict.

The Applicability Of The Humanitarian Intervention 'Exception' To The Middle Eastern Refugee Crisis: Why The International Community Should Intervene Against Isis, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The refugee crises in Iraq and Syria, which has been evolving over the past decade as a result of both ongoing conflict in these countries and the recent surge of Islamic State-led violence, has morphed into a true humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of thousands of refugees have been subjected to violence and have been dispersed and forced to live under dire conditions; such massive population flows have destabilized the entire region and have threatened the stability of neighboring countries. The United States and several other countries have been engaged in a military air strike campaign against the Islamic State, but the …

The Law Of State Responsibility In Relation To Border Crossings: An Ignored Legal Paradigm, Louise Arimatsu

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Legal Status Of Cia Officers Involved In Drone Strikes, Donna R. Cline

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article introduces international humanitarian law as the applicable legal standard, and develops the distinction between international and non-international armed conflict. Section II will define the key elements used to determine whether a situation of hostilities rises to the level of an armed conflict: the intensity of the conflict and the organization of the parties. Furthermore, this section will analyze the idea of internationalized armed conflict and examine the standard for determining when an attack by an armed group may be attributed to a State. Section III of this article describes the different categories of actors found in situations of …

Toward A Limited Consensus On The Loss Of Civilian Immunity In Non-International Armed Conflict: Making Progress Through Practice, Stephen Pomper

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Perfidy In Non-International Armed Conflicts, Richard B. Jackson

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Direct Participation In Hostilities And The Interoperability Of The Law Of Armed Conflict And Human Rights Law, Francoise J. Hampson

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Xvi Litigating How We Fight, Ashley S. Deeks

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Who May Be Held? Military Detention Through The Habeas Lens, Robert M. Chesney

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Paul Timmermans On Invisible War: The United States And The Iraq Sanctions. By Joy Gordon. Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press, 2010. 359 Pp., Paul Timmermans

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions. By Joy Gordon. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010. 359 pp.

Iraq And The "Fog Of Law", John F. Murphy

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Regime Change And The Restoration Of The Rule Of Law In Iraq, Raid Juhi Al-Saedi

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The "Fog Of Law": The Law Of Armed Conflict In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marc Warren

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Counterinsurgency And Stability Operations: A New Approach To Legal Interpretation, Dale Stephens

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Concluding Observations: The Influence Of The Conflict In Iraq On International Law, Yoram Dinstein

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Legal Bases For Military Operations In Iraq, Raul A. "Pete" Pedrozo

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The International Humanitarian Law Classification Of Armed Conflicts In Iraq Since 2003, David Turns

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Iraq War: A Commander's Perspective, Michael L. Oates

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The International Committee Of The Red Cross In Stability Operations, Laurent Colassis

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Full Volume 86: The War In Iraq: A Legal Analysis (2010)

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents (Volume 86)

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Legal Basis For Coalition Combat Operations In Iraq, May 2003-Present, Alexandra Perina

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Occupation Of Iraq: A Reassessment, Eyal Benvenisti, Guy Keinan

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Occupation Of Iraq, Clyde J. Tate Ii

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Rule Of Law Capacity Building In Iraq, Richard Pregent

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.