Unfortunately, due to uncertainty around travel restrictions occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, this event will be cancelled this year. Stay tuned for 2021. 

JUNE 25, 2020

Cardozo Law School, New York City

Many conversations in the U.S. about situations of armed conflict – within civil society, academia, and the U.S. government – center on “national security law,” often drawing primarily from domestic law and military perspectives.  International law is sometimes set aside in these discussions.   This workshop aims to draw the international legal aspects of armed conflicts to the forefront of national security discussions.

The workshop, co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Delegation in Washington, and faculty at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, Stanford Law School, and Cardozo School of Law, is for public international law scholars and practitioners.  It aims to drive discussions of public international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law, into conversations, in the U.S. in particular, on national security issues and situations of armed conflict. The organizers are particularly interested in discussing scholarship and ideas that seeks to bridge partisan political divides while addressing both the law and national interests.

The workshop will provide an opportunity for authors to have their works in progress critiqued by established experts in the field of IHL, and will provide a networking opportunity for participants.  The organizers ask only for papers that that have not yet been accepted for publication.

In addition to submissions to traditional US law reviews, participants might consider the possibility of publication in the ICRC’s International Committee of the Red Cross Review, which is seeking submissions for its upcoming editions.  The Review covers a wide variety of issues, and to the extent that there are paper topics that overlap with “revisiting the role of international law in national security” and upcoming Review topics, the organizers encourage these submissions. One upcoming Review topic is “Counter-terrorism and terrorism,” which is described in more detail below. The author would still need to submit the publication to the Editor of the Review for consideration.

We invite you to submit a detailed abstract or draft of an article for discussion.  A small number of papers will be selected for discussion at the workshop. Either draft papers OR abstracts may be submitted.

• When:  June 25th, 2020 (full day)
• Where:  Cardozo Law School, New York City
• Submissions:  Please send your name, current affiliation, and paper proposal to Tracey Begley. 
• Deadline for submissions:  April 1^st, 2020

Co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross Delegation for the United States and Canada, and faculty at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, Stanford Law School and Cardozo Law School.

A limited amount of travel funds may be available.

Counterterrorism/terrorism

Terrorism as a phenomenon is not limited to any one part of the world. It is a global phenomenon that, although it can occur in both wartime and peacetime, is often linked to armed conflict. Although there is no universal definition of “terrorism” under international law, international humanitarian law (IHL) prohibits acts which would be considered “terrorist” and acts or threats whose primary purpose is to spread terror among the civilian population. IHL also prohibits the underlying acts of attacks targeting the civilian population in both international and non-international armed conflicts. In response to the threat of terrorist attacks, States have undertaken numerous measures aimed at those that perpetrate them. While pursuing the legitimate aim of ensuring State security, counterterrorism measures can have a considerable impact on whether and how States fulfil their obligations under IHL. This issue of the Review will explore the issues like the so-called “foreign fighters”, the criminalization of aid, State, regional and UN counterterrorism sanctions, and partnered counter-terror operations, among others.