JIB/JAB Podcast

Janina Dill of the University of Oxford and Adil Haque of Rutgers Law School return to the podcast to address the question of whether it is possible now, while hostilities are still ongoing, to assess whether some aspects of the IDF's conduct of hostilities may be in violation of IHL. The question is germane because many argue that one cannot assess such violations until all of the evidence is available and has been analyzed, and we discuss why this may not be so. And the focus on the IDF, without delving into the violations of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, is justified because there is really no debate over the violations and war crimes committed by either of these - but there remains quite robust debate over whether the IDF is acting in compliance with IHL, and the issue is highly relevant now for countries that are supplying Israel with weapons. In the discussion we begin with explanations of the core principles of IHL, namely distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, as well as the treaty provisions that codify them, and how these are subject to interpretation. We also explore how the concept of intent, as well as the standards of evidence, should be understood differently depending on whether one is assessing collective violations of IHL or trying to prosecute individuals for war crimes, and whether one is considering the operation of law as an ex ante modifier of behavior, or as ex post mechanism for imposing accountability. We then dive into a discussion of some of the specific aspects of IDF conduct of hostilities, with a focus on strikes on civilian targets, and the use of indiscriminate weapons (or use of inappropriate weapons causing indiscriminate harm) in civilian areas, as well as how one should best understand the IDF's use of warnings, the use of AI in targeting decisions, and the claims that Hamas is employing human shields. There is much to unpack, and there is much that we could not get to, but it is fascinating if sobering analysis. For links to bios and all materials referenced, check our website at:

https://jibjabpodcast.com

A conversation with Professors Ingrid Brunk of Vanderbilt University Law School and Monica Hakimi of Columbia University Law School, about their forthcoming article on the prohibitions against annexations - a prohibition that is related to and often conflated with the prohibition agains the use of force, but which is distinct and important. We discuss the origins and operation of the principle, what the theoretical and practical implications it has for the jus ad bellum and international peace and security, how it is under threat and what the ramifications of that are - a fascinating discussion about an important piece of scholarship. For more info, see our website, at:

https://jibjabpodcast.com

In a cross-posted episode I discuss with Jonathan Hafetz, host of the Law on Film podcast, and professor of law at Seton Hall Law School, the film "Eye in the Sky" - a 2015 film about a British and U.S. operated drone strike against al Shabaab terrorists in Kenya, which intelligently and engagingly explores the legal, ethical, philosophical, political, and strategic issues raised by the operation. We focus on and examine the film's treatment of the legal principles implicated, but also explore their relationship with some of the ethical and strategic aspects of the decision-making, and go on to place the movie in the context of some other engaging films that explore law in the context of armed conflict.

For more information, including reading materials, visit our webpage at:

https://jibjabpodcast.com

A round-table discussion with Professors Monika Hakimi of Columbia Law School, Adil Haque of Rutgers Law School, and Marko Milanovic of Reading Univ. School of Law, on the question of whether Israel has a right of self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7. The incident raises, and we explore, important questions about the scope of the prohibition on the use of force in Art. 2(4) of the U.N. Charter and its relationship with the right of self-defense under Art. 51 - does the prohibition apply to action against non-state actors in occupied territory, and if not does Art. 51 operate? And is there a right of self-defense against non-state actors at all?. We also discuss how the status of Gaza and whether it is part of a state of Palestine alters the analysis, as well as whether and how the right of self-determination relates to the jus ad bellum regime in this context, and how the principle of proportionality in the doctrine of self-defense should best be interpreted in this context. It is a fascinating discussion with some of the foremost experts in the field. For more information and links to the readings referred to, visit our website at:

https://jibjabpodcast.com.

A discussion with Tom Dannenbaum, a professor of international law at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, on his work on the war crime of starvation. We delve into the proper interpretation of the IHL prohibition on starvation as a method of warfare, and the war crime of intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the Rome Statute of the ICC, considering what precisely constitutes the criminal act, and what exactly is the nature of the wrong that the crime seeks to address. We go on to discuss how this should inform our understanding of the Israeli siege of Gaza. For more info and links to the materials, visit our website at:

https://jibjabpodcast.com

A discussion with Chris O'Meara, Lecturer at Exeter University Law School, about his new book, "Necessity and Proportionality and the Right of Self-Defence In International Law." Chris explains his novel taxonomy for the principle of necessity, and how the relationship among necessity, proportionality, and imminence should be properly understood, and we delve into some of the potentially controversial claims he makes, on how necessity operates as a limiting principle, where the gravity threshold should be for for armed attack, whether the principles of self-defence are modified in responses to non-state actors, why the assertions and actions of a minority of powerful states should be considered so heavily in thinking about custom, and so much more! A fascinating conversation.

For more info and links, visit our webpage: https://jibjabpodcast.com

A conversation with René Provost, professor of law at McGill University, Faculty of Law, in Montreal, about his recent book "Rebel Courts: The Administration of Justice by Armed Insurgents." We discuss the methodology he employed in researching this deep and rich ethnography of rebel courts in conflicts ranging from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, to Sri Lanka, Colombia, and the DRC. We discuss how he assesses the legality of insurgents' administration of justice, how the very idea of rebel courts challenges many conceptions of law and justice, and the ways in which rebel administration of justice actually conforms to many aspects of the rule of law. It is a fascinating discussion that ranges from legal anthropology and legal theory to certain technical aspects of IHL and human rights law.

For more info and links, visit our webpage: https://jibjabpodcast.com

A conversation with Boyd van Dijk, currently a McKenzie Fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, about his new book, Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions. We discuss some of the myths surrounding the history of the conventions, as well as the tensions and conflicts not just between parties to the negotiations, but also within delegations, caused by conflicting interests, values, and paradoxes within their positions. We dig into the weeds of some of the different aspects of the negotiations, and discuss why this history should matter to how we think about and understand the operation of the conventions today. A fascinating conversation!

For more info, visit our website at: https://jibjabpodcast.com

A conversation with Leila Sada, Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, United States, and special advisor on crimes against humanity to the Prosecutor of the ICC. We discuss the decade long effort to establish a new international convention to prohibit and punish crimes against humanity, the role and limitations of the ICC in governing crimes against humanity, the relationship between genocide and crimes against humanity, and a number of other related issues - a fascinating discussion!

For more info and links to materials referred to, visit our website:

https://jibjabpodcast.com

A conversation with Dr. Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the ICC and Distinguished International Jurist at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. We discuss why the ICC cannot prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine and what the better alternatives might be, the jurisdiction and immunity issues that might arise, how other war crimes should be prosecuted, and how the war might provide an impetus for amending the Rome Statute, establishing a right to peace, restoring the jus ad bellum regime, and strengthening international criminal justice. A fascinating and wide-ranging discussion!

For more info and links to materials referred to, visit our website:

https://jibjabpodcast.com