By Brandt Pasco* A signature national security priority of President Barack Obama’s Administration, and an area that has generated rare broad-based bipartisan support, is export control reform. At the request of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in August 2009 President Obama directed the National Security Council and National Economic Council to jointly review the overall export control system.[1] Now five […]

By Laurie R. Blank* This is the final article in a three-part series on the Ukrainian crisis’s implications and lessons for the international law of armed conflict. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here. Recent events in eastern Ukraine highlight the challenges of identifying the groups involved. Pro-Russian separatists, militants, pro-Ukrainian “street fighters”, nationalists, terrorists — many terms have been used […]

Series Introduction Following a new outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, tensions in Ukraine and between Russia and the United States and NATO countries are high ahead of Ukraine’s presidential elections Sunday. Russian troops remain along Ukraine’s eastern border, notwithstanding Moscow’s promise of withdrawal. In this murky situation, however, it is crucial to rely on several foundational principles of international […]

Emory Law Professor Laurie R. Blank argues that the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the importance of sustaining the strict separation between the law of armed conflict (LOAC) and the jus ad bellum, a low threshold for recognition of international armed conflict, and the principle of distinction in today’s conflicts.

Mitchell S. Kominsky, Counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, discusses the state of cybersecurity legislation and the evolving nature of cyber policy. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Corri Zoli and Emily Schneider untangle the infighting between rival groups in Syria and the calls to use Shari’a to mediate the conflicts on the battlefield. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Volume 5, Issue 1 of the Harvard National Security Journal is now available online!

Professor Louis René Beres brings to bear two classical traditions to apply them to Israeli strategic planning. In this article, he takes a fresh look at Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War and weaves in Greek dialectical reasoning. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Professor Louis René Beres considers Israeli actions in response to threats emanating from Syria, Lebanon, and Iran in the contexts of weapons transfers, missile attacks, and an increasingly volatile situation in Syria. Map courtesy of Google Maps.

Benjamin Wittes and Stephanie Leutert discuss the stifling effects of Wikipedia censorship on the national discussion of Lawfare. Photo courtesy of Reuters