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.
The Regulation of Levées en Masse: Extending Participation to Diaspora Populations
The levée en masse (i.e., mass uprising) is a relatively rare form of conflict participation recognised by international humanitarian law (IHL). It was last expressed in treaty form in Geneva Convention III (GC III), which extends prisoner of war (POW) status, and...
The Role of Municipal Law Analogies in the Law of Armed Conflicts
It is common wisdom that the law of armed conflict (LOAC) contains many “principles” or rules of considerable normative breadth and importance. Some examples include: the principle of limitation of means and methods; the principle of distinction between the military...
The Alleged Poisoning of Alexei Navalny: Why do Toxin Allegations Go to the Hague?
During the 2026 Munich Security Conference, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands made a joint statement concerning the death of Alexei Navalny. They stated that they were confident that Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin. In this...
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Volume 9
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