Use of Force
Türkiye’s Threats against Greece: A Violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter?
On September 5-6, 2022, the Greek Foreign Minister Mr. Nikos Dendias sent letters to the EU, NATO, and the UN to bring to their attention public statements made by Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose “openly threatening nature and tone are more than...
Cyber Symposium – The Private Sector View on Use of Force
Editor’s note: The following post highlights a subject addressed in the symposium entitled The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and International Law: A Futurespective presented by the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare at the American University, Washington College...
Cyber Symposium – The Evolution of Cyber Jus ad Bellum Thresholds
Editor’s note: The following post highlights a subject addressed in the symposium entitled The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and International Law: A Futurespective presented by the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare at the American University, Washington College...
Cyber Symposium – Diplomatic Considerations for Armed Attack
Editor’s note: The following post highlights a subject addressed in the symposium entitled The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and International Law: A Futurespective presented by the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare at the American University, Washington College...
Cyber Symposium – The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and the Jus ad Bellum: A Futurespective
From 15 through 17 June 2022, the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare met in Washington, D.C. with the Tech, Law & Security Program at the American University, Washington College of Law to present a symposium entitled The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and...
Lieber Institute White Paper: Responding to Malicious or Hostile Actions under International Law
Recent consultations with senior legal advisers have highlighted the need for a clear map of response options available to States facing hostile or malicious actions, whether attributable to another State or a non-State actor. After all, to respond effectively to such...
Remarks on the Law Relating to the Use of Force in the Ukraine Conflict
Professor Mike Schmitt has addressed the application of the right of self-defense to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This post adds comments on the application of the law relating to the use of force to the present conflict. Specifically, I address whether there is...
Keeping the Ukraine-Russia Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello Issues Separate
In any situation of international armed conflict (IAC), such as that between Ukraine and Russia right now, two bodies of law necessarily come into sharp relief: The jus ad bellum, which deals with the “why” of the IAC (the legitimacy or otherwise of going to war); and...
Providing Arms and Materiel to Ukraine: Neutrality, Co-belligerency, and the Use of Force
Since the outbreak of renewed hostilities on February 24, numerous States have provided Ukraine significant military assistance in its ongoing armed conflict with Russia. NATO members that have approved or transferred lethal weapons to Ukraine include Belgium, Canada,...
Russia’s Illegal Invasion of Ukraine & The Role of International Law
The United States’ leadership of Western opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the correct response. No question. The entire international system of States is based upon Westphalian notions of sovereign equality, border inviolability, territorial integrity,...
Russia’s “Special Military Operation” and the (Claimed) Right of Self-Defense
On 24 February, Russia attacked Ukraine on several fronts. Two days earlier, President Vladimir Putin had announced Russia’s recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics in the Donbas region and ordered in so-called “peacekeepers.” Those breakaway entities...
Russian Cyber Operations and Ukraine: The Legal Framework
Last week, hostile cyber operations targeted approximately 70 Ukrainian government websites, including that of the Cabinet. Affected sites included Diia, the most widely used site for handling online government services. The operations included posting the message,...