National Security Law Commons^™

The “Space Side” To “Harmful Interference”—Evaluating Regulatory Instruments In Addressing Interference Issues In The Context Of Satellite Communications, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Interference issues in the context of satellite communications can, in principle, be tackled with legal means from a variety of angles, due to the multifaceted character of both interference and satellite communications as a sector. From that perspective, the present contribution addresses the most important regulatory instruments available to address the particular aspects of satellite communications related to their usage of outer space, and represents a first summary effort to evaluate their particular scope, approach, and general effectiveness.

Effective Exercise Of ‘In-Space Jurisdiction’: The Us Approach And The Problems It Is Facing, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

As mankind moves closer to the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Outer Space Treaty, the framework international treaty laying down the baseline regime for space activities, it may be considered a major achievement that the treaty, as well as some of its offspring—notably the Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention, and Registration Convention—seem to be as relevant as ever. This is a major feat in an international era of many fundamental changes in the geopolitical, economic, and social context.

Nevertheless, the increasing involvement of private entities in many fields of space activity beyond the (by now) more “traditional” ones of …

Human Rights Thinking And The Laws Of War, David Luban

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In a significant early case, the ICTY commented: “The essence of the whole corpus of international humanitarian law as well as human rights law lies in the protection of the human dignity of every person…. The general principle of respect for human dignity is . . . the very raison d'être of international humanitarian law and human rights law.”

Is it true that international humanitarian law and international human rights law share the same “essence,” and that essence is the general principle of respect for human dignity? Is it true that, in the words of Charles Beitz, humanitarian law is …

The Ssci Report And Its Critics: Torturing Efficacy, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Indefinite Detention And Antiterrorism Laws: Balancing Security And Human Rights, Joanne M. Sweeny

Pace Law Review

This article does more than describe British and American anti-terrorism laws; it shows how those laws go through conflicted government branches and the bargains struck to create the anti-terrorism laws that exist today. Instead of taking these laws as given, this Article explains why they exist. More specifically, this article focuses on the path anti-terrorism legislation followed in the United States and the United Kingdom, with particular focus on each country’s ability (or lack thereof) to indefinitely detain suspected non-citizen terrorists. Both countries’ executives sought to have that power and both were limited by the legislatures and courts but in …

The National Security Council And The Iran-Contra Affair, Ed Jenkins, Robert H. Brink

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Security Council Comes Of Age: An Analysis Of The International Legal Response To The Iraqi Invasion Of Kuwait, Christopher John Sabec

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

China's Nine-Dashed Map: Maritime Source Of Geopolitical Tension, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The South China Sea (SCS) is becoming an increasingly contentious source of geopolitical tension due to its significance as an international trade route, possessor of potentially significant oil and natural gas resources, China’s increasing diplomatic and military assertiveness, and the U.S.’ recent and ongoing Pacific Pivot strategy. Countries as varied as China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and other adjacent countries have claims on this region’s islands and natural resources. China has been particularly assertive in asserting its SCS claims by creating a nine-dash line map claiming to give it de facto maritime control over this entire region without regard to …

The Reauthorization Of Exon-Florio: A Battle Between Spurring The U.S. Economy And Protecting National Security, Ellison F. Mccoy

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Eco-Terrorist Acts During The Persian Gulf War: Is International Law Sufficient To Hold Iraq Liable?, Laura Edgerton

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Al Bahlul Argument: Article Iii, Conspiracy, And Precepts Of International Law, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Cuban Liberty And Democratic Solidarity Act Of 1996 - Implications For Nafta, Dean C. Bucci

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Democracy's Struggle Against Terrorism: The Powers Of Military Commanders To Decide Upon The Demolition Of Houses, The Imposition Of Curfews, Blockades, Encirclements And The Declaration Of An Area As A Closed Military Area, Emanuel Gross

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Legalizing Assassination? Terrorism, The Central Intelligence Agency, And International Law, Daniel B. Pickard

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Revamping International Securites Laws To Break The Financial Infrastructure Of Global Terrorism, Sireesha Chenmolu

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Is Honesty Still The Best Policy: Considering Legal Options For Missile Defense And The Antiballistic Missile Treaty, Hillary A. Smith

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Rogue States, Weapons Of Mass Destruction, And Terrorism: Was Security Council Approval Necessary For The Invasion Of Iraq?, Jason Pedigo

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

International Law And The Nuclear Threat In Kashmir: A Proposal For A U.S.-Led Resolution To The Dispute Under Un Authority, Billy Merck

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Canadian Connection: Why The State Department Is Ignoring A Loophole In The Arms Export Control Act, Nicole Day

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Cross Border Data Flows: Could Foreign Protectionism Hurt U.S. Jobs?: Hearing Before The Subcomm. On Commerce, Mfg. & Trade Of The H. Comm. On Energy & Commerce, 113th Cong., Sept. 17, 2014 (Statement Of Laura K. Donohue), Laura K. Donohue

Testimony Before Congress

Documents released over the past year detailing the National Security Agency’s telephony metadata collection program and interception of international content under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) directly implicated U.S. high technology companies in government surveillance. The result was an immediate, and detrimental, impact on U.S. firms, the economy, and U.S. national security.

The first Snowden documents, printed June 5, 2013, revealed that the U.S. government had served orders on Verizon, directing the company to turn over telephony metadata under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The following day, The Guardian published classified slides detailing how the NSA had …

Defining The Battlefield In Contemporary Conflict And Counterterrorism: Understanding The Parameters Of The Zone Of Combat, Laurie R. Blank

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Global Cyber Intermediary Liability: A Legal & Cultural Strategy, Jason H. Peterson, Lydia Segal, Anthony Eonas

Pace Law Review

This Article fills the gap in the debate on fighting cybercrime. It considers the role of intermediaries and the legal and cultural strategies that countries may adopt. Part II.A of this Article examines the critical role of intermediaries in cybercrime. It shows that the intermediaries’ active participation by facilitating the transmission of cybercrime traffic removes a significant barrier for individual perpetrators. Part II.B offers a brief overview of legal efforts to combat cybercrime, and examines the legal liability of intermediaries in both the civil and criminal context and in varying legal regimes with an emphasis on ISPs. Aside from some …

Rethinking The Role And Regulation Of Private Military Companies: What The United States And United Kingdom Can Learn From Shared Experiences In The War On Terror, A. Grayson Irvin

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Identifying The Enemy In Counterterrorism Operations: A Comparison Of The Bush And Obama Administrations, Boaz Ganor

International Law Studies

Identifying the enemy plays a crucial role in providing the government with the authority needed to fight terrorism—from the authority to investigate threats to the authority to detain and use lethal force. The two administrations significantly differ in their understanding of the enemy, both at the organizational and individual levels. They also differ in their understanding of the boundaries of the battlefield. Ultimately, contrasting the policies adopted by the Bush and Obama administrations reveals that the early identification of the enemy by decision makers shaped the nature and scope of each administration’s counterterrorism strategies.

Al-Nashiri, The Cole Bombing, And The Start Of The Conflict With Al-Qaeda, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Lost In Translation: The Accidental Origins Of Bond V. United States, Kevin L. Cope

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

One of the unusual features of cases about the constitutionality of federal statutes is that they are nearly always foreseeable. Even before the bill’s introduction in Congress, lawmakers are often aware that they are inviting a federal lawsuit. Anticipating a legal challenge, legislators and their staffs attempt to predict the courts’ views of the statute and adapt the bill accordingly. Generally speaking, the bigger the bill’s potential constitutional impact, the more foreseeable the resulting case. By this logic, jurists should have seen the constitutional issues in Bond v. United States from a mile away. In reality, they were foreseen by …

Reconciling Energy And Food Security Law, Rhett B. Larson

University of Richmond Law Review

This article argues that making "water security" a more predominant policy aim can help reconcile and integrate energy security and food security. Water security is the condition of a nation and its citizens having reasonable physical and economic access to sufficient and sustainable water, combined with acceptable levels of water-related risks (e.g., drought, flood, and water-related plagues).

The Bull In The China Shop: Raising Tensions In The Asia-Pacific Region, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This paper examines the legality of China's recent endeavors to change the status quo in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically with respect to the announcement of an ADIZ over the East China Sea. The piece concludes with recommendations for potential U.S. responses.

Charting The Legal Geography Of Non-International Armed Conflict, Michael N. Schmitt

International Law Studies

This article examines the geographical reach of international humanitarian law (law of armed conflict), particularly during armed conflicts between States and non-State organized armed groups. The issue is operationally critical, since to the extent that IHL applies, practices which are lawful during armed conflicts, such as status-based targeting, may be employed. When IHL does not apply, human rights obligations shouldered by the State govern the conduct of its military operations. The article surveys the various approaches to the the legal geography of non-international armed conflict, arguing that an interpretation by which IHL is not geographically restricted is the most supportable.

Duck-Rabbits And Drones: Legal Indeterminacy In The War On Terror, Rosa Brooks

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In the days and weeks immediately following the 9/11 attacks, “the law” offered little to lawyers or policy-makers looking for guidance. Indeed, for many the events of 9/11 became the legal equivalent of a Rorschach test: depending on the observer, the 9/11 attacks were variously construed as criminal acts, acts of war, or something in between, thus fitting into (or triggering) any of several radically different legal regimes.

Divergent interpretations of the law are common, of course. Legal rules often contain an element of ambiguity, and the “facts” to which law must be applied can frequently be construed in multiple …