Search: drones
14 Oct Guest Post: Air Strikes in Syria–Questions Surrounding the Necessity and Proportionality Requirements in the Exercise of Self-Defense
...IS terrorists using drones and France’s joining the air campaign to bomb IS positions in Syrian territory. The extent to which air strikes would meet the necessity and proportionality requirements in the exercise of the right to self-defense under Article 51, however, remains less explored. This post does not aim to consider the issue of the permissibility of engaging in unilateral forcible measures against unattributable attacks by private groups. However, even assuming that the lawful exercise of the right of self-defense extends to action against irregular forces, it can be...30 May Negligent Attack in Afghanistan Kills 20+
...as it was tracked for more than three hours. Its movements matched radio intercepts of militants calling on others to join the battle near Khod, about seven miles (12 kilometers) from the site of the attack. No women were seen in the vehicles, but two children were spotted near them at one point. This was inaccurately reported by the drone crew, the report said. We usually think about drones killing innocent civilians directly. But let’s give them their due — they can kill innocent civilians in recon mode, as well....18 Apr Kony 2012: Seven Questions about Social Media Campaigns and International Law
...public about the legal concept of “genocide.” When Wikileaks disseminated its viral “Collateral Murder” video it doctored the film, confusing the audience about the complexity of events on the ground and about the distinction between “murder,” “war crimes” and “lawful targeting.” Assange’s later conflation of “civilian casualties” with “war crimes” in his promotion of the Afghan War Diaries dataset put civilian harms on the agenda, but promoted a fallacious understanding of what “war crimes” are. The public debate over drones is equally confused on these points – a process that...22 Sep Re-Engaging on an ISIL AUMF
...and sending other people’s kids to war. (And with some 5000 personnel now in theater, there can be little doubt we’re talking about actual American lives here, even in the age of drones.) It is likewise far easier for a member of Congress to bluster than to commit to specific language (and perforce, specific limits) on what exactly she thinks we should be doing about ISIL. There is nothing that quite focuses the mind like text on a piece of paper, and a pen to sign one’s own name to...
06 May New Technologies Symposium: Introduction
...but in the former raise issues as to the status of the vessel as a warship, a problem which has its parallels in the air domain. Similarly, the criticality of security of underwater cables for the efficient operation of the Internet shows how maritime security technologies are of vital importance in ensuring that systems on which modern life depends continue to operate undisturbed. The out-dated nature of the law covering maritime drones and cables is matched in the law as it applies to hostilities in outer space. One might have...
06 May The Closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran: Considerations over the Law of the Sea and Law of Naval Warfare
...attack against Iran, at least three tankers were struck by missiles or drones. On March 2, 2026 the US flagged oil tanker Stena Imperative was hit while at port in Bahrain resulting in the killing of one shipyard worker and injury of two others. Art. 51 and 52 of the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions regarding the general protection of civilians and civilian objects applies to the law of naval warfare. According to the San Remo Manual Rules 40-41, the merchant vessels including the tankers flying the US...02 May Weekly News Wrap: Monday, May 2, 2016
...a serious crisis with neighboring Russia, a report commissioned by the Finnish government said on Friday. French and U.S. jets destroyed an Islamic State site in Iraq used by the hardline Sunni Muslim insurgents to build large quantities of bombs and vehicles for suicide attacks, the French Defense Ministry said on Sunday. A German government official denied on Sunday a magazine report which said Berlin might end its unconditional support for Israel due to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s increasing frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. Americas U.S.-led coalition drones struck...
12 Jun Prize Law Revisited: Between Permission and Regulation
...as good prize and transferred ownership over the vessels to the state. This is despite credible evidence that the means used to enforced the blockade against the Flotilla were unlawful, including the alleged use of drones before interception and the mistreatment of detainees afterwards. More recently, Israeli Finance Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has publicly released footage of the clear mistreatment of members of the Sumud Flotilla’s subsequent May 2026 attempt to much international condemnation by various heads of state. The Haifa court’s proceedings regarding this more recent Flotilla will take time,...
10 Dec Symposium on Forensic and Counter-Forensic Approaches to International Law: Looking Down and Looking Away – The Aerial Perspective in Investigations of Armed Conflict and Genocide
...juxtaposing the work of Forensic Architecture with the US military’s assessments of civilian casualty allegations. The aerial perspective is powerful and seductive, but it also has important limitations. First, bird’s eye view is unfamiliar to human eyes: we are not used to seeing from above. As a consequence, when we look at images taken by satellites or drones, we often rely on explanations contained in captions, annotations, and arrows superimposed on images. Second, the view from above is associated with abstraction, power, and dehumanization. The drone does not see faces....