Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict Documents

  • On September 24, 2021, Sapienza Università di Roma, in coooperation with the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict of the American Society of International Law and the Interest Group on Peace and Security of the European Society of Internatonal Law, will hold a conference on "Partnered Operations and International Law" in Rome. Program and registration information are here.


  • The Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict invites you to join us for a book launch, discussing Dr. Ezequiel Heffes' new book: Detention by Non-State Armed Groups under International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2022). 

    The book explores the legal regulation of non-State armed groups' (NSAGs) detention activities and examines these actors' motivations when depriving individuals of their liberty. Based on case studies of selected groups from Colombia, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and doctrinal analysis, Dr. Heffes also proposes minimum humanitarian principles applicable to detentions by NSAGs. By addressing a contemporary issue that touches upon a number of legal regimes, the book aims at elucidating the different ways in which international law can be used as a protective tool in relation to individuals affected by NSAGs.

    Dr. Ezequiel Heffes is a Senior Policy and Legal Advisor at Geneva Call. He holds a PhD from the University of Leiden (Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies), an LLM in IHL and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy and a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires School of Law. 

    Speakers:

    • Dr. Ezequiel Heffes (author), Geneva Call
    • Dr. Katharine Fortin, Associate Professor, Utrecht University (discussant)
    • Nathalie Weizmann, Senior Legal Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (discussant)
    • Jessica Peake, UCLA (moderator)

  • Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

  • Join our event on how media coverage of military operations shapes public opinion on war actions and its potential effects on congressional intervention in wartime events.

  • Join the Lieber Society new Mentorship Program!


  • A well-known adage posits that 'ignorance of the law is no excuse'. Yet, ignorance and mistake of law may, at times, exonerate individuals from criminal responsibility in both national and international criminal law. Due to the complexity of the relevant law, it is possible--even if, most often, improbable--that a defendant may successfully plead their ignorance or mistake of law even against charges of war crimes or crimes against humanity. The rules on mistake of law applicable before international criminal tribunals may also convey a message about the purpose of punishing individuals before such courts and the legitimacy of such punishment. On the occasion of the launch of the Antonio Coco's The Defence of Mistake of Law in International Criminal Law: A Study on Ignorance and Blame (Oxford University Press, 2022), the author and the panelists will engage in a conversation about what it means for an individual defendant to know the relevant law, about the role of the defence of mistake of law in international criminal proceedings, and about the imputation of blame to individuals for international crimes. A discount code for the purchase of the book will be made available for those who attend the event.

    Speakers:

    • Antonio Coco, Lecturer, Essex Law School, University of Essex (author)
    • Paola Gaeta, Professor of International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (chair)
    • Oumar Ba, Assistant Professor, Department of Government, Cornell University
    • Kate Gibson, Associate Tenant, Doughty Street Chambers, London; President, Association of Defence Counsels practicing before the International Courts
    • Matthew Cross, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court

    This session is organized by ASIL's Lieber Society.


  • This panel examines the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) principles to the current conflict in Israel/Gaza. Expert panelists from academia and international NGOs will discuss a few core issues, including the classification of the conflict (whether it is an international or non-international armed conflict), obligations concerning the treatment of hostages or prisoners of war, requirements for protection of civilians (including evacuations and responsibilities to supply food and water), and other relevant issues relating to the application of humanitarian law principles. We aim to facilitate a calm and respectful consideration of different views on current heated debates.

    Panelists:

    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development
    • Christian Jorgensen, American Red Cross
    • Shiri Krebs, Deakins University
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Law Office of M.A. McGrail
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Haifa University
    • Oman Shakir, Human Rights Watch

    This event is organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar International Law Community.


  • This panel examines the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) principles to the current conflict in Israel/Gaza. Expert panelists from academia and international NGOs will discuss a few core issues, including the classification of the conflict (whether it is an international or non-international armed conflict), obligations concerning the treatment of hostages or prisoners of war, requirements for protection of civilians (including evacuations and responsibilities to supply food and water), and other relevant issues relating to the application of humanitarian law principles. We aim to facilitate a calm and respectful consideration of different views on current heated debates. This panel serves as an update, since the event with the same speakers on October 27, 2023.

    Panelists:

    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development
    • Christian Jorgensen, American Red Cross
    • Shiri Krebs, Deakins University
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Law Office of M.A. McGrail
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Haifa University
    • Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch
    • Loren Voss, Former DoD Senior Advisor, Civilian Harm Mitigation; USAF Reserves

    This event is organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar International Law Community.


  • Please join us for the Third in the Lieber Society series, "International Humanitarian Law Principles--An Update on the Israel/Gaza Conflict." This panel will offer an update of our examination of the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) principles to the current conflict in Israel/Gaza. Expert panelists from academia and international NGOs will discuss a few core issues, including the recent International Court of Justice case, South Africa v. Israel, requirements for protections of civilians during conflicts, the relevance of the laws of occupation, and other issues relating to the application of humanitarian law principles. 

    We aim to facilitate a calm and respectful consideration of different views on current heated debates. This panel is the third in our series on International Humanitarian Law--the first two webinars, from October 27, 2023 and January 12, 2024 are available on YouTube or the asil.org website.

    Panelists:

    • Clive Baldwin, Human Rights Watch
    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development, University of the Pacific
    • LCDR Christopher J. Hart, Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law, U.S. Naval Academy
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Law Office of M.A. McGrail
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Haifa University
    • Yael Vias Gvirsman, International Criminal and Humanitarian Law Clinic, Radzyner Law School

  • This panel will offer an update of our examination of the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) principles to the current conflict in Israel/Gaza. Expert panelists from academia and international NGOs will discuss a few core issues, requirements for protections of civilians during conflicts, including access of humanitarian organizations, the implications of targeted killings and the use of artificial intelligence, and other issues relating to the application of humanitarian law principles. We aim to facilitate a calm and respectful consideration of different views on current heated debates. This panel is the fourth in our series on International Humanitarian Law – the first three webinars, from October 27, 2023, January 12, 2024 and March 8th are available on YouTube or at asil.org asil.org.

    Panelists:

    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development, University of the Pacific
    • Shiri Krebs, Chair of Lieber Society, Professor of Law, Deakin Law School
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Executive Committee of Lieber Society, Law Office of M.A. McGrail
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Haifa University
    • Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch
    • Leila Sadat, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute Washington University School of Law
    • Loren Voss, Visiting Associate Professor of Law, George Washington University School of Law

    This event is organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar International Law Community.


  • Please join us for our 5th webinar in this Lieber Society Series on international humanitarian law. This panel will discuss the role and history of the International Criminal Court as well as findings from the UN in the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. We will discuss issues of state sovereignty and sovereign immunity in the context of the ICC Chief Prosecutor's recent application for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leaders of Hamas (Yahya Sinwar), and the issuance of an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin along with the ICC and UN Independent International Commission's authorities in the context of the Geneva Conventions and customary international law and the shift in investigative responsibility and authority for enforcement of international humanitarian law away from individual states. The panelists will  address obligations for the protection of civilians during armed conflicts and decision-making authority in the chain of command. Audience questions will be invited.

    Panelists:

    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development, University of the Pacific
    • Shiri Krebs, Chair of Lieber Society, Professor of Law, Deakin Law School
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Executive Committee of Lieber Society, Law Office of M.A. McGrail
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions, University of Haifa
    • Leila Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, Director, former Special Advisor on CAH to the International Criminal Court (2013-2023)

    This event is organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar International Law Community.

  • Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

  • Call for submissions for the 2023 Lieber Society writing prizes

  • CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE 2022 LIEBER SOCIETY RICHARD R. BAXTER MILITARY WRITING PRIZE

    Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper
    that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter
    Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/
    Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

    The Prize. The winner will receive a certificate confirming that he or she has
    won the 2022 Lieber Society Richard R. Baxter Military Prize and a one-year
    membership in the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The judges may
    also recommend additional persons to receive Lieber Society Richard R. Baxter
    Military Prize Certificates of Merit.

    Request for Assistance. Any person receiving this Call for Papers who is aware
    of exceptional writing that meets the qualifications of this competition is
    requested to nominate the paper directly to the Lieber Society and forward this
    Call to the author of that paper.

    Definition of the Law of War/IHL. For this competition, the Law of War/IHL is
    that part of international law that regulates the conduct of armed hostilities.
    Papers may address any aspect of the law of war/IHL, including, but not limited
    to, the use of force in international law; the conduct of hostilities during
    international and non-international armed conflicts; protected persons and
    protected objects; the law of weapons; rules of engagement; treatment of
    detainees, to include interrogation procedures; and occupation law. Papers
    addressing practical problems confronting members of the armed forces are
    preferred.

    Qualifications for entering the competition. Persons submitting papers do
    not have to be ASIL members. They may be citizens of any nation, but they must
    be an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, a civilian employee
    of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United
    States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

    Papers that may be entered. Papers submitted in this competition must be in
    English (or translated into English if written in another language). Paper length
    may not exceed 35 pages if written with single line spacing or 70 pages if written
    with double line spacing, including footnotes. Paper size must be either 8.5 x 11
    or A4, with all margins at least one inch and at least 12-point font. A
    bibliography is not required. Both papers that have been published and papers
    that have not been published will be considered for the Baxter Prize. The paper
    should have written/published no earlier than the year prior to the award year,
    meaning for the 2022 Baxter Prize, papers should have been written or published
    in 2021.

    Number/Type of Submissions. Sole and joint authored papers are eligible, but
    every author must meet the eligibility requirements. Authors may submit one (1)
    sole and one (1) joint authored paper.

    Redact author information. To facilitate anonymous judging to the greatest
    extent possible, please ensure that the author’s name and personal identifying
    information are removed or redacted from the submission. In the email to which
    the submission is attached please provide the following author information:
    1) Full name and military rank or rating (former rank for veterans, or civilian
    equivalent).
    2) Current e-mail addresses and current telephone number.
    If a person other than the author is making the submission, it must also contain
    the above data for the person submitting the paper.
    Deadline for submitting papers. Papers for the 2022 competition must be
    received no later than 7 January 2022.

    Use of email to submit papers. Electronic submission is required in Adobe
    format (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc). Submissions should be sent to the Baxter
    Military Prize Coordinator, Dr. Christopher E. Bailey, at
    christopherbailey286@yahoo.com. The subject line should read “Baxter Prize
    Submission.”

    Acknowledgement of submissions. All submissions will be acknowledged by email.
    Announcement of winner. The winner and any persons receiving Certificates
    of Merit will be announced at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of
    International Law in Washington, DC, April 6-9, 2022.

    Disclaimer. This announcement is being sent for information purposes to
    notify personnel of events of common interest sponsored by a non-federal
    entity. This announcement does not constitute an endorsement of the Lieber

  • International humanitarian law (IHL) and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) have been at the center of intense public debates surrounding Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, and other conflicts, which raise important and challenging questions about the content and application of LOAC, including the jus ad bellum, the protection of civilians under IHL, and the law of occupation. They also highlight the way in which LOAC shapes how conflicts are framed, waged, and ultimately memorialized, even when significant gaps in its enforcement remain. This panel will explore the ways in which LOAC impacts narratives about armed conflicts and how those narratives can affect the conflicts themselves. It will offer fresh perspectives on LOAC as a dynamic and multidimensional force that can shape events even when its particular norms and rules appear to go unenforced. In that regard, the panel will engage with long-running "power vs. law" debates and realist critiques that dismiss IHL as epiphenomenal and largely irrelevant to international relations, a field dominated and driven by geopolitics. The panel will also consider how obstacles to enforcement by international or domestic courts can make LOAC vulnerable to contested narratives and risk.

    Panelists:

    • Anna Cave, Georgetown Law (panelist)
    • Brian L. Cox, Cornell Law School, and U.S. Army Judge Advocate (retired) (panelist)
    • Jonathan Hafetz, Seton Hall Law School (moderator/panelist)
    • Shiri Krebs, Deakin University (panelist)
    • Matiangai Sirleaf, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (panelist)

    Organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and co-sponsored by the Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Interest Group.


  • Please join us for our 6th webinar in the Lieber Society Series of expert discussions on international humanitarian law. This panel of experts will discuss current issues arising in international humanitarian law, including obligations for the protection of civilians during armed conflicts and decision-making authority in the chain of command; What is the history and role of the international Criminal Court (ICC) in investigation and enforcement of international humanitarian law? And what are the ICC and UN Independent International Commission's authorities in the context of the Geneva Conventions and customary international law? Has there been a shift in investigative responsibility and authority for enforcement of international humanitarian law away from individual states? In addition, the panel will take up the question of how the principles of international humanitarian law are to be applied to the use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts. Audience questions will be invited in the last part of the webinar.

    Panelists:

    • Omar Dajani, Global Center for Business and Development, University of the Pacific
    • Shiri Krebs, Chair of Lieber Society, Professor of Law, Deakin Law School
    • Ido Rosenzweig, Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions, University of Haifa
    • Leila Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, Director, former Special Advisor on CAH to the International Criminal Court (2013-2023)
    • Mary Ann McGrail (moderator), Executive Committee of Lieber Society, Law Office of M.A. McGrail

    This event is organized by the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar International Law Community.

  • Call for papers for the 2025 Lieber Society Lieber Writing Prizes

  • Call for papers for the 2025 Lieber Society Richard R. Baxter Military Writing Prize