Weapons Law
The al-Zawahiri Strike and the Law of Armed Conflict
Just after daybreak on July 31, the United States killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s former deputy and the current leader of al-Qaeda. Two Hellfire missiles struck him on the balcony of his home in Kabul. Nearby residents reported a loud blast along with an...
A New Political Declaration on Civilian Harm: Progress or Mythical Panacea?
On June 17, against a backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has now killed or wounded over 11,000 civilians in a little more than four months, a group of States, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)...
Coding the Law of Armed Conflict: First Steps
[Editor’s note: The following post highlights a subject addressed in the Lieber Studies volume The Future Law of Armed Conflict, which was published 27 May 2022. For a general introduction to this volume, see Professor Matt Waxman’s introductory post.] Killer...
Déjà Vu: International Landmine Law and the New U.S. Landmine Policy
Following a “comprehensive policy review,” the Biden Administration announced significant changes to U.S. Anti-Personnel Landmine (APL) policy on June 21, 2022. The new policy reverses most aspects of the Trump Administration’s 2020 policy. In fact, since the Clinton...
Hunter 2-S Swarming Attack Drones: Legal & Ethical Dimensions
Halcon, a defense company based in the United Arab Emirates, unveiled its aerial fleet of swarming drones—Hunter 2-S—at the Unmanned System Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on February 21, 2022. The small-sized Hunter 2-S modular launching system is the latest...
Are Thermobaric Weapons Lawful?
The Russian Federation has deployed and likely used thermobaric weapons during its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States alleged that Russia “used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva Conventions,” while American...
Are Molotov Cocktails Lawful Weapons?
A frequent feature of violent riots and revolts, the Molotov cocktail has reappeared in reports of Ukraine’s preparations to resist the ongoing Russian invasion. Although undoubtedly symbolic of resolve to resist using all means available, whether Ukrainians’ use of...
Reentering the Loop
The warfighting advantages of using lethal autonomous systems, and the potential costs of not using them, seem to guarantee their role in future armed conflict. This post argues that optimizing their effectiveness involves not only improving their independent...
Why Binding Limitations on Autonomous Weapons Will Remain Elusive
Recent calls to abandon existing and ongoing legal processes to develop regulations for autonomous weapons should be evaluated cautiously or even suspiciously. This post proposes a more productive path toward effective regulation and important international consensus...
Hays Parks’s Influence on Cyberspace Operations Capabilities
The recent Articles of War series honoring Hays Parks was a fitting tribute to a great American lawyer that reintroduced his work to the military legal community and its newest generations. The series referenced a seminal paper in which he addressed international...
Cognitive Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (CLAWS)
With the debut of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) in combat, opponents of LAWS have called on States to fast-track the creation of international law that either bans the use of these weapons or mandates meaningful human control over them. If LAWS are used...
Hays Parks on the Means and Methods of Warfare
Hays Parks was one of the leading voices of the United States’ view of the law of war over the last 50 years, and one of the founding fathers of the field of operational law in the U.S. military. Both of us are honored to have either worked directly with him or to...