At the crossroads of scholarship and practice
The Lieber Institute at West Point facilitates and contributes to the global dialogue on today’s most pressing and complex law of war issues. Through its research, publications, events and education, it strives to advance the understanding and maintain the primacy of law in today’s armed conflicts.
The Lieber Institute seeks to bridge the divide between legal scholarship and battlefield experience in the study of the law. It engages in innovative research and collaboration on multiple topics of legal study including targeting, detention, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and war crimes accountability.
Researching Cutting-edge Issues.
Promoting Understanding.
Empowering Combat Leaders.
Can AI Teach Itself to Abuse IHL-Protected Indicators?
In war, there is every incentive to deceive. Thousands of years ago, humans learnt that misleading the enemy, dissimulating one’s intentions, and misrepresenting the truth often led to tangible tactical and operational benefits. Humans, however, also came to...
Tripwires to Trojans: Updating the Law of Booby-traps for the Digital Age
Articles of War has featured discussion of the law of armed conflict (LOAC) rules concerning booby-traps (see, e.g., here, here, here, and here). All have been based in the land domain. I am interested in the application of the idea in the cyber domain. Under the...
The ICJ Obligations of Israel Advisory Opinion – Qualifying Israel as an Occupying Power in the Gaza Strip
Editors’ note: This post is part of a series featuring analysis of the 2025 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on obligations of Israel in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The introductory post to the series by Sean Watts is...
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