Through the Looking Glass, Again: The Caroline Standard and a General Framework for Necessity-Based Self-Defense
by Thomas W. Oakley | Apr 7, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Use of Force
Through the Looking Glass, Again: The Caroline Standard and a General Framework for Necessity-Based Self-Defense “Why, it’s a Looking-glass book, of course! And if I hold it up to a glass, the words will all go the right way again.” — Lewis Carroll, Through the...
The Evolving Architecture of the International Law of Military Operations: Mapping the Future of Legal Research in Armed Conflict
by Paul A.L. Ducheine, Terry D. Gill, Peter Pijpers, Marten Zwanenburg | Mar 18, 2026 | AI, AoW Posts, Blog, Emerging Technologies, Law of Armed Conflict, Use of Force
The Evolving Architecture of the International Law of Military Operations: Mapping the Future of Legal Research in Armed Conflict International law governing military operations is undergoing a period of profound transformation. Rapid technological innovation...
The Moral Disorder of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello Purity
by Thomas Wheatley | Jan 26, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Law of Armed Conflict, Use of Force
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...
Of Open and Closed Systems – War Caught in Lotus and Anti-Lotus
by Robert Kolb | Jan 12, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Law of Armed Conflict, Use of Force
Of Open and Closed Systems – War Caught in Lotus and Anti-Lotus Within every system of law there are open legal sub-systems that offer residual freedom to act and closed sub-systems where residual prohibitions prevail. In the first, the maxim is that what is not...
The Ban on Force or the System: What’s Really Dying?
by Kinga Tibori-Szabó | Sep 12, 2025 | AoW Posts, Blog, Use of Force
The Ban on Force or the System: What’s Really Dying? In the past year, a growing chorus of voices has warned that the international “rule-based” order—along with the prohibition on the use of force—is unraveling, with the United States poised to withdraw from the very...