Four hundred years ago, the United East India Company hired Hugo Grotius, who would later be memorialized as the “father of international law,” to legitimize Dutch sea power in the South China Sea. Dennis Harbin illustrates that Grotius and the legal defense he crafted would have major implications for competition between democracies and autocracies centuries… Continue reading Lawfare and Sea Power: A Historical Perspective
Category: Laws of War
The Case for Attempted Perfidy: An “Attempt” to Enhance Deterrent Value
Mitigating the risk of deliberate attacks against civilians and other individuals protected by international humanitarian law is among the most fundamental objectives of international legal regulation of armed conflicts. Central to this risk mitigation is the categorical prohibition against deliberately attacking civilians and other protected individuals (unless and for such time as they directly participate… Continue reading The Case for Attempted Perfidy: An “Attempt” to Enhance Deterrent Value
Drone Strike—Analyzing Public Perceptions of Legitimacy
Paul Lushenko considers how Mitt Regan’s book Drone Strike: Analyzing the Impacts of Targeted Killing [see also Regan’s article in this volume] informs the national security community’s understanding of the public’s perceptions of legitimate drone strikes. Lushenko explains that Regan, in evaluating the effectiveness of the post-9/11 US drone program, raises an important question about the implications of public… Continue reading Drone Strike—Analyzing Public Perceptions of Legitimacy