Foundations of International Law
This field governs relations between states and other international actors.
What is international law?
Ted Piccone argues that international law can help advance this country’s interests.
What are U.S. national interests?
This event triggered major legal and military changes in the United States.
What is 9/11?
This technology allows remote military attacks without a pilot on board.
What is a drone?
This person leaked information about U.S. surveillance programs.
Who is Edward Snowden?
This is a major purpose of international law in global affairs.
What is regulating conduct between states?
This reading from Brookings emphasizes that international law can support stability and predictability.
What is international law serving U.S. national interests?
This phrase describes the U.S. response to terrorism after 9/11.
What is the War on Terror?
This issue asks whether drone strikes can ever be morally justified.
What is ethics?
This documentary follows Snowden and the surveillance controversy.
What is CitizenFour?
This concept explains why countries agree to follow international rules even without a world government
What is mutual interest or cooperation?
Paul Poast argues that despite flaws, this still matters in world politics.
What is international law?
This legal issue concerns whether the U.S. used the correct basis for military action.
What is the legal basis for war?
This principle is often discussed when evaluating civilian harm in strikes.
What is proportionality?
This newspaper article revealed a secret order widening domestic monitoring in 2005.
What is the New York Times article “Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts”?
This is one reason international law is difficult to enforce.
What is the lack of a central enforcement authority?
John B. Bellinger’s article focuses on this event as a violation of international law.
What is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
This crisis group reading critiques the framework used to justify counterterrorism actions.
What is “Overkill: Reforming the Legal Basis for the U.S. War on Terror”?
This legal concern asks whether the people targeted were properly identified as lawful targets.
What is distinction or target identification?
This major historical event is linked to the expansion of U.S. government surveillance powers.
What is 9/11?
This broad principle says states and actors should follow shared legal rules rather than acting only by force.
What is the rule of law?
This is one reason countries may support international law even when it limits freedom of action.
What is long-term strategic benefit?
This film about Guantanamo detention raises questions about justice, evidence, and human rights.
What is The Mauritanian?
This New Statesman article directly asks whether drone strikes can ever be this.
What is ethical?
This debate centers on whether Snowden was a hero or a traitor.
What is the Snowden controversy?