Photo Credit: French Ministry of Defense By: Lorris Beverelli, Guest Contributor Since September 2014, an international coalition has been conducting military operations in Syria aimed at degrading and destroying the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” (ISIS). The coalition, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, have invoked their right to self-defense and the consent of the … Continue reading Why International Law Matters to Decision Makers
Category: Military & Defense
Time to Police INTERPOL
Photo Credit: The Independent By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist At the 85th session of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) General Assembly in November 2016, Chinese Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was elected President.[i] His appointment raises concern about whether he will abuse INTERPOL’s resources to crack down on Chinese political dissidents abroad, particularly … Continue reading Time to Police INTERPOL
Banning Killer Robots? A Way Forward
Photo Credit: Military.com By: Paul Kumst, Columnist The upcoming Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) may set the stage for a preventive ban of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), also referred to as “Killer Robots.” However, a variety of factors make it doubtful that a capable and committed Group of … Continue reading Banning Killer Robots? A Way Forward
NATO’s Perfect Storm: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
Photo Credit: NATO By: Andrew Watts, Columnist In his first press conference since voters elected Donald Trump into the Oval Office, President Obama sought to reassure allies that the president elect has “a great interest in maintaining our [US] core strategic relationships” and that “there [will be] no weakening of resolve” when it comes to … Continue reading NATO’s Perfect Storm: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
Photo Credit: South China Morning Post By: Michael Daly, Columnist In late October, China’s top leadership gathered in Beijing for the Sixth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee in Beijing. This year’s iteration of the annual meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership focused on intra-Party governance. At this meeting, President Xi Jinping further … Continue reading Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
Photo Credit: BangBreachClear.com By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist On October 21st, the United States conducted its fourth freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea (SCS). The USS Decatur conducted the transit within “the vicinity of the Paracel Islands to uphold the rights and freedoms of all States under international law, as reflected in … Continue reading It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
Hezbollah’s Tenure in Syria: Tactical and Strategic Implications
Photo Credit: NationalSecurity.com By: Sarah Gilkes, Columnist In a televised address on May 25, 2013, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah formally announced the organization’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.[i] In the weeks and months that followed Nasrallah’s address, commentators declared Hezbollah’s engagement in Syria the group’s Vietnam: a high-risk conflict that was likely to … Continue reading Hezbollah’s Tenure in Syria: Tactical and Strategic Implications
The Benefits and Risks of Human Performance Modification for the US Military
Photo Credit: StoriesbyWilliams (blog) By: Nicole Magney, Columnist The concept of human performance modifications—enhancements or degradations to the human body to affect either physical or physiological performance—as it relates to US military personnel’s ability to wage war is not new. In fact, some argue that American soldiers have been using human enhancement since the Revolutionary … Continue reading The Benefits and Risks of Human Performance Modification for the US Military
The Fate of Conscription in South Korea
Photo Credit: Channel News Asia By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Under the shroud of constant crisis emanating from a belligerent North Korea (DPRK), a growing number of South Koreans are beginning to question the need for mandatory universal military service. Support for mandatory conscription is rapidly waning. It is increasingly viewed as neither a necessary or … Continue reading The Fate of Conscription in South Korea
Drone Policy, International Law, and the Next Administration
Photo Credit: CNN.com By: Jake Howry, Columnist As the United States prepares for the transition to the next administration, we should grapple with the fact that the next President of the United States will inherit multiple wars, both overt and covert. Perhaps the defining aspect of President Obama’s counterterrorism legacy is the dramatic expansion of … Continue reading Drone Policy, International Law, and the Next Administration