Law of Neutrality
On Robert Kolb’s Advanced Introduction to International Humanitarian Law, Second Edition
This post provides select reflections based upon the experience of writing the second edition of my book, Advanced Introduction to International Humanitarian Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2025). I wrote the book as an “advanced” introduction, in the sense that it does...
Asia’s Melian Moment
Prior to the siege of Melos, the Melians argued that they had the right to remain neutral when the Athenians demanded their surrender. The famous dialogue depicted by Thucydides in the History of the Peloponnesian War illustrates political realism in international...
The So-Called Principle of Equal Treatment of Belligerents by the Neutral State
Conventional legal wisdom says neutral States owe belligerents equality of treatment (see for example here, p. 282–84, here, p. 237, and here, p. 466). This is largely inaccurate, however. What’s more, it is astonishing how persistently some cling to this erroneous...
Clarifying Neutrality: The Rise of Different Statuses?
With the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, one can witness the rebirth of a classical topic of international law: the law of neutrality. Some argue that neutrality is “obsolete.” An alternative perspective is that a new kind of neutrality, called “qualified...
Dilemmas of Defense: The U.S. Role in the Iran-Israel Conflict
On April 13, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out an unprecedented operation, launching hundreds of drones and cruise missiles toward Israel. Reports indicate that Israel intercepted the majority of these drones and missiles with assistance from the United...
Ukraine Symposium – North Korea’s Entry into International Armed Conflict
In recent months, the world has observed the methodical introduction of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict (IAC). On June 19, 2024, President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader, Kim...
Lieber Workshop 2024: International Law and the Future of Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific
Editors’ note: The views expressed in this post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of any other workshop participants. From October 28 to 31, 2024, the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare hosted its eighth annual Lieber Workshop at its institutional...
In Honor of Yoram Dinstein – Will the Separation Between Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello Survive the Conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza?
Editors’ note: This post is part of a series to honor Professor Yoram Dinstein, who passed away on Saturday February 10, 2024. These posts recognize Professor Dinstein’s work and the significant contribution his scholarship has made to our understanding of...
The Use of Force and the International Legal System
The editors of Articles of War kindly invited me to submit a short post regarding the book I co-authored with Kinga Tibori Szabó on the use of force which was recently published by Cambridge University Press under the abovementioned title. I will give a brief overview...
Recapping “Cyber in War: Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine Conflict”
We are fast approaching the two-year mark of the massive escalation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. While much of this war has been fought in the physical realm, to devastating effect, cyber operations have also played a significant role, giving the...
