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.
Of Evolving Belligerent Occupation Law: Old “Hague” Occupation and New “Geneva” Occupation
For years, the legal status of so-called “functional occupation” was unclear in international humanitarian law (IHL) (see, e.g., this 2012 work by Zwanenburg, Bothe, and Sassòli). In 2024, however, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) adopted a new take on...
Gamifying War: Reward Incentives and “Outlawry” in Armed Conflict
Both sides of the Ukraine-Russia conflict maintain incentive programs that reward soldiers for kills on the battlefield. Russia offers monetary bonuses for the destruction of enemy equipment, such as helicopters and tanks, while Ukraine awards points redeemable for...
The Moral Disorder of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello Purity
In my last post, I argued why the law of armed conflict (LOAC) does not require the absolute separation of jus in bello and jus ad bellum. I also identified how leading thinkers throughout history understood the two to be inextricably, fundamentally linked, until very...
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Volume 9
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