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State Practice in Assassination: What is Old is New Again

State Practice in Assassination: What is Old is New Again

In July 2024, CNN reported that American and German intelligence agencies had thwarted a Russian plan to kill Armin Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall, a company known as “the largest and most successful German manufacturer of the vital 155mm artillery...

Attacking Iran: Retaliation or Self-Defense?

Attacking Iran: Retaliation or Self-Defense?

On October 1, Iran launched a major two-wave attack consisting of over 180 missiles against Israel. The primary targets were the headquarters of Mossad and three Israeli Air Force bases. However, Israel’s multi-layered air defense systems, supported by U.S. warships,...

United States v. Najibullah Symposium – Introduction

United States v. Najibullah Symposium – Introduction

Almost as soon as hostilities between the United States and the Taliban and al Qaeda groups in Afghanistan began in 2001, important law of war questions emerged. In particular, early stages of the conflict provoked debate concerning its legal character. The question...

Killing Nasrallah and the Law of Armed Conflict

Killing Nasrallah and the Law of Armed Conflict

Last Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted air strikes against a Hezbollah command and control bunker in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs, which was located under an apartment complex. The attack, which followed IDF warnings for civilians to evacuate the area,...

“Humanity” is Not Always the Highest Claim

“Humanity” is Not Always the Highest Claim

Disputes about the application of the law of armed conflict are often fought with tools of legal analysis: competing treaty provisions; court rulings; and historical precedents. I want to highlight here a deeper dispute regarding the overall perspective. The...

Exploding Pagers and the Law

Exploding Pagers and the Law

Reports emerged on 17 September 2024 that, from about 15:45 that day local time, a large number of pagers used by Hezbollah personnel in Lebanon exploded spontaneously and virtually simultaneously. At the time of writing, nine persons are reported to have died and...

Lawfully Using Autonomous Weapon Technologies

Lawfully Using Autonomous Weapon Technologies

Editor's note: This post is derived from the author’s recently published book Lawfully Using Autonomous Weapon Technologies, published with Springer Press. We, members of the human race in 2024, already live in a world saturated with artificial intelligence (AI). Like...

Regaining Perspective on the Law of Armed Conflict

Regaining Perspective on the Law of Armed Conflict

As I noted in my “2024 Year Ahead” post, I am worried that the law of armed conflict (LOAC) faces an array of threats to its application on the battlefield and beyond. The post set out five that I find especially corrosive. To begin with, I am worried about an eroding...

International Law and Intelligence Gathering: Mind the Gaps

International Law and Intelligence Gathering: Mind the Gaps

Intelligence gathering is a fundamental element of both statecraft and the conduct of hostilities. Its integral role in armed conflict is evident in the Israel intelligence service, the Shin Bet, having provided “surgical intelligence” for the July 2024 targeting of...

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Conclusion

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Conclusion

Although a much wider analysis is possible (and is done elsewhere) I thought it important to highlight the uniting factor that has emerged so far in the various posts in Articles of War based on three volumes of the Laws of Yesterday’s Wars series. This final post...

The “Total Defeat” of Hamas and the End of NIAC

The “Total Defeat” of Hamas and the End of NIAC

Since the onset of the hostilities in Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, Israel has consistently identified the “complete destruction” of the “military and governmental capabilities” of Hamas as one of its principal war aims. If Israel were to achieve that objective,...

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Mongol Laws of War

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Mongol Laws of War

Editor’s note: The following post highlights a chapter that appears in Samuel White’s third edited volume of Laws of Yesterday’s Wars published with Brill. For a general introduction to the series, see Dr Samuel White and Professor Sean Watts’s introductory post....

Food Security Assessments and International Law

Food Security Assessments and International Law

Food security remains an urgent and widespread global issue, with an estimated 281.6 million people in 59 countries or territories facing acute food insecurity in 2023. For nearly half of those people, conflict was the primary driver of their food insecurity. To...

Protecting Schools in Armed Conflict

Protecting Schools in Armed Conflict

In early July 2024, the BBC reported that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had conducted an air strike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. According to Palestinian sources, sixteen people were killed, with dozens more injured in the attack on the...

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Ottoman Laws of War

Laws of Yesterday’s Wars Symposium – Ottoman Laws of War

Editor’s note: The following post highlights a chapter that appears in Samuel White’s third edited volume of Laws of Yesterday’s Wars published with Brill. For a general introduction to the series, see Dr Samuel White and Professor Sean Watts’s introductory post. The...

Who Speaks for Humanity?

Who Speaks for Humanity?

In a previous post on Articles of War, I argued that it was wrong to assess rules for the conduct of war without giving some consideration to the type of war involved, even if that meant blurring the distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello. But some...

Farewell to LTC Christopher Malis

Farewell to LTC Christopher Malis

This week Articles of War and the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare bid farewell to Lieutenant Colonel Chris Malis. For two years, Chris served as an Executive Editor at Articles of War where he was instrumental in our administrative operations. Chris quickly...

Houthi Attacks on Merchant Vessels in the Red Sea

Houthi Attacks on Merchant Vessels in the Red Sea

The Red Sea has seen a rise in attacks on merchant ships since 19 October 2023. Although the number of ships having been attacked differs depending on the sources used, the number has by now at the very least exceeded 50 (see here and here). Beyond injuries to crew,...

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