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.
Military Animals in Armed Conflict
For much of human history, armies have relied on military animals to prosecute wars. Horses have served as means of transportation and tactical maneuver since ancient times. Mules, donkeys, camels, and other pack animals have been critical to supplying armies in the...
Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Somali Traditions of Restraint
Editor’s note: The following post highlights a chapter that appears in Samuel White’s fourth edited volume of Laws of Yesterday’s Wars published with Brill. For a general introduction to the series, see Dr Samuel White’s introductory post. Accounts of the laws of war...
The Terminological Architecture of the Jus in Bello: Law, Language and Warfare
The lexicon governing the conduct of hostilities is not a static collection of synonyms but a dynamic field of ideological contestation. For centuries, the body of international law that regulates the behaviour of belligerents and protects victims of conflict has been...
Please check back soon for future events and programming.
Volume 9
Volume 8
Volume 7
