Notes
Slide Show
Outline
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International Law and the ICTY
  • By Andrew Strong
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Introduction
  • The law as it currently exists
  • The problem: all guerrilla movements may be illegal
  • A better formulation of the law
  •  Law should match reality
  •  Problems with the new formulation can be managed
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Jus ad Bellum / Jus in Bello
  • Jus ad Bellum– “Just War”
    • The motivations for entering a conflict are considered ‘just’ by the international community


  • Jus in Bello– “Just Means”
    • The methods used in a war – the tactics, strategies, etc. are considered ‘just’ by the international community


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ICTY : Extending Jus in Bello



  • With the formation of the ICTY and specifically the Tadic decision Jus in Bello can be applied to put an individual in jail
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Jus in Bello : Responsibly Attacking Only Justifiable Targets
  • 1. Duty to discriminate
      • Justifiable targets
        • Combatants vs. Non-Combatants

  • 2. Duty of Proportionality
      • Means employed must be proportional to the objective.
        • Killing a fly with a hand grenade
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Defining the Duty to Discriminate
  • During an armed conflict individuals can be broken into three categories represented below.
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What is a Justifiable Target?
  • Currently a justifiable target is governed by Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention and 1977 Protocol II


    • Restricts justified targets in an internal armed conflict to individuals taking an active part in the conflict




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Defining the Duty of Proportionality
    • Means employed be a guerrilla must be proportional to the objective.
      • Example
        •  An insurgent may launch a coordinated attack on the military barracks.
        • The insurgent may not drive a truck of explosives into the station and blow up the block

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Putting the Two Together
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Problems with the Current Approach
  • Duty to Discriminate
      • Armed Combatants are not the only legitimate threat to an insurgency,


      • The relative strength of a regime compared to a guerrilla force can make regime informants and collaborators as deadly as armed combatants
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The current Duty to Discriminate effectively makes every insurgency illegal!
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Sphere of guerrilla violence that is legally justifiable should be proportional to availability of other means of effecting change and brutality of the regime.
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Measuring Alternatives to Violence and Regime Brutality
  • Measure as empirically as possible
    • Neutral organizations such as Amnesty International produce such reports


    • Average reports from half a dozen organizations
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Discriminating Targets
  • During an armed conflict individuals can be broken into three categories represented below.
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What is a Justifiable Target?
  • Restrict justifiable targets to Group A?
    • Problematic because often a collaborator or informant can be as dangerous as a soldier.
    • Individuals can fluidly move between rings
      • X might be a combatant one minute, lay down his rifle and become a civilian the next, before picking up his rifle again.




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Restrict justifiable targets to Group A plus a  defined set of the “most threatening” individuals from Group B?
  • Problematic because the threat from Group B will vary depending on brutality of regime and alternative available means of dissent



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Duty to Discriminate Varies
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Extending Things and Examples
  • What the Iraq Insurgency looks like



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"What would be a justifiable..."
  • What would be a justifiable pattern of violence for Iraq Insurgency
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Extending Things
  • Under this rubric, events such as Abu Graib and Guantanimo Bay should be taken very seriously as they could be used to justify a broader sphere of violence against the United States
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Extending Things and 9/11
  • Theoretically, this rubric could be used to justify an event like 9/11 if it had happened in different country with an astronomical Brutality Index
    • In a situation where a regime’s brutality index was inconceivably high and all other channels of dissent (this would have to extend very far such as appearing in public) were closed.



  • This scenario would be extremely unlikely; however, it is possible.
    • Consider Nazi Germany – Under this theory, it could be justifiable if a German Jew flew a plane into a Nazi building.
      • He/she would point out the regime’s systematic murder of approximately 6,000,000 civilian Jews and the utter lack of any means of opposing the State’s policy.


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Moving from Law to Political Science : Policy Incentives
  • Insurgency is less likely to occur in societies with open channels for expressing dissent and organizing opposition to a regime.


  • Instead, other less risky means of effecting change will be employed
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Policy Incentives cont.
  •        Conversely, as regime violence towards dissidents increases, the likelihood of an armed insurgency increases.
  • - If individuals know that they will be arrested for passing out   pamphlets, they will pursue   their goals via other means.  Why not  pass out Kalishnikovs?
  •        Linking justifiable guerrilla violence with regime brutality provides an incentive for the regime to deal with opposition responsibly and humanely.
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Linking This Theory To Jus Ad Bellum War
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Problems
  • What if alternative means of expressing dissent are blocked by a private party?
    • 2004 pre-election America several accusations against media conglomerates that refused to air specific programs criticizing the government about to seek reelection


    • Should that justify violence towards a private party?  The Government?  How to tell what role and to what degree the government is responsible?





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Problems Continued
  • Similarly, what if brutality is carried out privately?  Or through subtle government non-action?
    • Violence towards African-Americans in Southern U.S.


    • Governmental blacklist which costs an individual his job

  • How is this measured?


  • Should this be part of the calculus?


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Problems Continued
  • If there is a flexible line, how is that judged immediately and not retroactively?
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Solutions
  • Hold the government accountable for  inaction where private suffocation of media outlets or private violence towards a specific group is apparent.
    • Build this into the brutality index in a responsible way.
    • Would encourage the government to control violent private groups and allow for a more transparent media
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Solutions Continued : Where is the line?
  • In any system, drawing a useful line between justifiable and illegal targets difficult.


  • This approach offers a more realistic reflection of justifiable targets because it factors in the varying threat similar targets pose to an insurgency and the varying degree of risk insurgents face against different governments.
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Solutions Continued : Why a more realistic approach is important.

  • If the line is not realistically drawn and the insurgent cannot accomplish his/her objective without violating international law, then the deterrent effect of the law is moot.
  • Creating laws that better reflect the reality of an insurgent’s position can help ensure that the laws are followed.