Original post on mastodon.social

Folks, the US and Israel are doing a lot of things that might be (and probably are) war crimes, but sinking an Iranian warship is not one of them. It doesn't matter if it had ammunition on it or not. It is a commissioned warship of a state party to an international armed conflict, and as such […]

Are you... sure? #LOAC regulates the conduct of hostilities and protects people not participating in fighting, such as civilians and prisoners of war. It aims to limit unnecessary suffering and destruction by balancing military necessity with humanitarian principles. Was this the case?

When Red Lines Cross Blue Lines: Cyber Attacks on Poland’s Water Infrastructure – Part I - Lieber Institute West Point This post examines when cyber operations against water infrastructure may qualify as attacks under the LOAC.

Szymon Skalski and Natosha Hoduski examine in their post when #cyber operations against water infrastructure may qualify as #attacks under #LOAC. lieber.westpoint.edu/when-red-lin...

OLC Maduro Memo: Assisting War vs Participating in Hostilities A recent OLC memo on U.S. use of force wrongly expands who can be targeted under the law of armed conflict, undermining civilian protections.

Charlie Trumbull & @mikeschmitt.bsky.social explain why DOJ Office of Legal Counsel’s assertion that civilians can be targeted in armed conflict for "assisting in war-sustaining activities” is erroneous, a dangerous precedent, and not too late to be corrected:

#LOAC #IHL

Year in Review - 2025 - Lieber Institute West Point 2025 brought a stress-testing of law of armed conflict and the international community, pressure point by pressure point.

2025 brought a stress-testing of #LOAC & the int. community. It was a sustained inquiry into whether the laws of war can meaningfully constrain violence in an age of strategic competition, technological acceleration & protracted conflict & if so, how. lieber.westpoint.edu/year-in-revi...

Gaps and Seams in the Law of Armed Conflict for AI-Enabled Cyber Operations - Lieber Institute West Point The use of AI to enable cyber operations will accelerate growing integration of cyber into military operations.

This past September, the 4th Annual Symposium on Cyber & International Law took place. Emily Bobenrieth provides an overview of a panel discussion, which explored whether #AI-enabled cyber ops in armed conflict present uncertainty in application of #LOAC. lieber.westpoint.edu/gaps-seams-l...

Unlawful Orders and Killing Shipwrecked Boat Strike Survivors: An Expert Backgrounder An expert backgrounder on the reported Hegseth "no quarter" order to kill everyone aboard a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2.

Legality of the secondary strikes in the Caribbean on Sept. 2nd. #Hegseth #LOAC #WarCrimes

www.justsecurity.org/125948/illeg...

Google Search

#Karolying
Law of Armed Conflict
#LOAC
www.google.com/search?q=law...

Alternate MAGA ending of Dunkirk where they shoot Tom Hardy and credits roll

#loac #lawofwar #maga

Yes, the Geneva Conventions Apply — Even When the U.S. Says “We’re Not at War” Why a “no-survivors” directive is illegal under Common Articles 2 and 3—and why Supreme Court precedent leaves no room for debate.

The Geneva Conventions don’t turn off because a government refuses to say the word “war.”
Common Articles 2 & 3 apply based on facts, not political labels.

A “no survivors” order is illegal every time.

natecharles.substack.com/p/geneva-con...

#RuleOfLaw #GenevaConventions #LOAC #NationalSecurity

Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime

Message to our military service members: Disobey War Crimes! Even if you’re never charged, history is documenting every violation of the laws of war. #LOAC #UCMJ
#GenevaConvention #WarCrimes

Attention Journalists! Please consult retired JAG officers like @danmaurerlawprof.bsky.social and push attention of this issue to your editors! This is knowledge that the American public MUST be aware of to prevent further erosion of our U.S. armed forces!
#IllegalOrders #LOAC #UCMJ #Trump #Hegseth✊

Belligerent Reprisals Series - Reprisals with Weapons - Lieber Institute West Point This post tackles reprisals from the angle of weapons law, addressing situations where unlawful use of a lawful weapon may be justified.

Stuart Casey-Maslen considers in his post the extent to which #weapons whose use is illegal under #LOAC may be used in belligerent #reprisals. lieber.westpoint.edu/reprisals-wi...

After killing 24 Iraqi civilians, a group of US Marines was put on trial. But no one served a day in prison An attack on civilians by US Marines during the Iraq War sparks outrage and a war crimes trial, but in the end, no one is held accountable.

For my #LOAC #jusinbello crowd:

revealnews.org/podcast/hadi...

US Servicemembers' Exposure to Criminal Liability for Lethal Strikes on Narcoterrorists Former career judge advocate officer and former court-martial prosecutor writes that order to kill suspected narcoterrorists in Caribbean exposes servicemembers to criminal liability.

US Servicemembers’ Exposure to Criminal Liability for Lethal Strikes on Narcoterrorists

By Daniel Maurer, former career judge advocate officer and former court-martial prosecutor

#MilitaryJustice #SouthCom #LOAC

www.justsecurity.org/121167/us-se...

Indirect or Reverberating Excessive Collateral Damage in Modern IHL - Lieber Institute West Point A series of contextual criteria must be considered to reach a legally sound result when assessing indirect collateral damage.

A series of contextual criteria must be considered to reach a legally sound result when assessing #indirect #collateral #damage. Robert Kolb highlights key factors in making #proportionality determinations in the context of #targeting and #LOAC. lieber.westpoint.edu/indirect-rev...

#Politik #Israel #Al-Sharif #LawofArmedConflict #LOAC

Andrew Fox führt aus, unter welchen Bedingungen Medien und Journalisten legitime Ziele werden können.

Al Jazeerah dient als Beispiel.

x.com/Mr_Andrew_Fo...

Indiscriminate Attacks, Proportionality and the Meaning of “Incidental” Civilian Harm - Lieber Institute West Point What does it mean for civilian harm to be “incidental” within the meaning of the proportionality rule of the law of armed conflict (LOAC)?

What does it mean for #civilian #harm to be “incidental” within the meaning of the #proportionality rule of #LOAC? The answer carries profound consequences for how we distinguish lawful military operations from #indiscriminate #attacks, argues @aurelsari.com. lieber.westpoint.edu/indiscrimina...

Non-State Cyber Actors in the 12-Day War – The Gray Zone of LOAC, Part II - Lieber Institute West Point This post addresses matters relating to potential detention and prosecution of non-state actors, especially the members of Predatory Sparrow.

Recent #cyber ops undertaken by the #PredatorySparrow have raised multiple questions regarding privatization of warfare and #LOAC gray zones. Gary Corn addresses in his post questions relating to potential detention and prosecution of Predatory Sparrow members. lieber.westpoint.edu/non-state-cy...

ENMOD: Dead Letter or Environmental Lifeline? - Lieber Institute West Point If ENMOD only prevents creating new superweapons that rely on harnessing natural power then it offers protection only at a theoretical level.

The natural environment is a frequent casualty of war, yet weakly protected by #LOAC. Joanna Jarose argues that if #ENMOD only prevents new superweapons, it offers merely theoretical #environmental protection. lieber.westpoint.edu/enmod-dead-l...

Ready Soldier One: Video Game Incentives and Law of Armed Conflict Compliance - Lieber Institute West Point The integration of a video-game-like point system represents a new paradigm in modern warfare, which can incentivize compliance with the law.

The integration of a video-game-like point system represents a new paradigm in modern #warfare. Chad Bird and Michelle Lukomski argue that when structured within the boundaries of #LOAC, the point system can incentivize #compliance with the law. lieber.westpoint.edu/ready-soldie...

The Prosecution of Terrorism as a War Crime - Lieber Institute West Point This post summarizes the history of the prohibition of terrorism under LOAC and traces its transformation into a war crime.

Despite the persistent condemnation of #terrorism, the prosecution of terrorism as a #warcrime is a relatively rare occurrence. Stuart Casey-Maslen summarizes the history of the prohibition of terrorism under #LOAC. lieber.westpoint.edu/prosecution-...

EVENT: AI in Military Decision Making: A Dialogue on How to Enhance IHL Compliance

Interested by #ArtificialIntelligence in military decision making & how to ensure it is used in compliance with #HumanitarianLaw?
Please join us for this 17 June event with outstanding experts to start a discussion on @icrc.org preliminary recommendations.
#AI #IHL #LOAC
www.icrc.org/en/event/eve...

Ukraine Symposium – Captured Enemy Weapons - Lieber Institute West Point Although generally lawful, the employment of captured enemy weapons is subject to certain requirements under the law of armed conflict.

Russian military has fielded a new weapon in its conflict with #Ukraine that was captured on the battlefield. Although generally considered lawful, the employment of captured enemy weapons is subject to certain requirements under #LOAC, explains Ronald Alcala. lieber.westpoint.edu/captured-ene...

Associate for the Legal Division Associate for the Legal Division

Unique opportunity to join the #ICRC Legal Division for a 1-year paid traineeship.
Don't miss the deadline to apply: 1 June 2025.
#JobOpportunity #IHL #HumanitarianLaw #LOAC #GenevaConventions #Disarmament @icrc.org
careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%...

Senior Legal Adviser The Norwegian Red Cross is seeking a legal advisor/senior legal advisor to support the update process of the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea.Over the past thr...

The #Norwegian #RedCross is looking for an #Oslo based Senior Legal Adviser to work on the update of the #SanRemoManual on #NavalWarfare.
Come work with our team on this important project!
#JobOpportunity #IHL #LOAC #MaritimeLaw #GenevaConventions #ICRC
To apply: 303030.webcruiter.no/Main/Recruit...

📢 Our #callforpapers for Volume 28 (2025) is now out!

📖 Theme: "Facts in International Humanitarian Law"

📅 Abstract deadline: 13 June

More info: www.asser.nl/asserpress/d...

#IHL #LOAC

Israel-Hamas 2025 Symposium – Releasing Civilian Hostages and Returning Hostage Remains - Lieber Institute West Point The public spectacles organized by Hamas for the release of the civilian hostages and the return of remains constitute clear LOAC violations.

Legal questions have arisen regarding the manner in which Hamas has been releasing #hostages & returning the remains of those who have died. @mikeschmitt.bsky.social explains that public spectacles organized by Hamas constitute clear #LOAC violations. lieber.westpoint.edu/releasing-ci...

#YIHL #IHL #LOAC #IHLCompliance