The Law of Armed Conflict: An Operational Approach, Third Edition

Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook on Casebook Connect, including academic lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities. Access also includes an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes. The Law of Armed Conflict: An Operational Approach is a comprehensive treatment of the international legal regulation of armed conflicts and how that law is implemented through national and coalition policies and practice, with a special emphasis on the military operational context for such implementation. All authors are retired United States Army officers, and most have served in operational capacities as both legal advisors and combat leaders (with more than 140 years of collective military operational experience). Each author has taught extensively at various law schools, and is recognized as a leading scholar in the field of international law and conflict regulation. This has enabled them to develop a text that addresses a broad range of complex legal issues related to the regulation of armed conflicts and to do so in a way that provides students with critical insight into the strategic, operational, and tactical challenges associated with implementing these obligations. Their text covers all aspects of the law of armed conflict and explains the important difference between law and policy in regulation of military operations, and the challenge of reconciling differing interpretations of the law during multi-national coalition operations. Utilizing military operational scenarios and hypotheticals drawn from both history and the authors’ collective backgrounds, this text provides the context necessary to develop a genuine understanding of the law and distinguishes the text from others focused purely on the substance of the law. Its unique pedagogy is based on overviews of each topical area of the law and utilizes a wartime scenario. Students experience operational legal challenges armed forces confront from pre-deployment preparation through post-conflict stability operations to war crimes investigation and prosecution. The text focuses primarily on the U.S. legal interpretations, but also includes discussion of important areas of legal divergence between U.S. and major Coalition partners, as well as the perspectives drawn from the academic and non-governmental humanitarian communities. This exposes students to the challenges these divergences can create for decision-makers and their legal advisors during actual military operations. New to the Third Edition: Incorporates legal issues and lessons learned from recent conflicts including Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine Updates national positions on law of armed conflict issues Added emphasis on the doctrine of neutrality based on current armed conflicts Distinct operational scenarios and problem sets for each chapter Updated treatment of all areas of the law reflecting recent conflicts Addition of a new author resulting in three authors with experience as the U.S. Army’s senior expert law of armed conflict advisor Expanded treatment of the intersection of emerging technology and military operations  Professors and students will benefit from: Authority: more than 140 years of collective military experience as military operational legal advisors written by a group of some of the most respected scholars in the field with a record of publication exceeding 100 articles all authors retired U.S. military officers now teaching at leading U.S. law schools all authors with experience in military legal and/or operational assignments during recent U.S. operations Rich with documentation and examples: excerpts from treaties and treaty commentaries domestic and international cases and sources international and domestic jurisprudence Department of Defense manuals and directives service field manuals regulations implementing legal obligations Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the law of armed conflict: explains the difference between law and policy in regulation of military operations provides an overview of operational scenarios for each chapter tailored to the chapter’s focus focuses on U.S. legal and operational perspectives in recent armed conflicts, with exposure to areas where legal interpretations for U.S. forces diverge from those of other States and non-government organizations addresses jus ad bellum and jus in bello issues Unique pedagogy overviews of each topical area of the law utilizes wartime scenarios for each chapterstudents experience operational legal issues from pre-deployment preparation through post-conflict stability operations to war crimes investigation and prosecution carefully crafted problems follow each chapter based on historical examples and actual operational experience place the student in the position of a military legal adviser providing operational legal advice students enhance their understanding of the relevance of the law in modern conflicts and in planning and executing military operations Enables students to understand not only the substance of the law, but also to appreciate the context in which the law applies and the challenge of implementation Suitable for a two, three or four credit offering