Admiral Fitzwallace

  As the dust settles in certain Ukrainian towns and cities, images of death and destruction are being broadcast to the world, and chants are growing louder for war crimes to be prosecuted.  President Biden has argued the need for one, President Macron has stated that there are clear indications of war crimes and the Human Rights Watch has begun to offer reports on abuse and summary executions. Investigations have begun for legal proceedings to take place.  Just this week, a Russian soldier was tried and convicted for war crimes in Ukraine; a 21 year old tank commander was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a civilian in Chupakhira on February 28th. As the first sentencing to take place for the war crimes in Ukraine, the conversation has now turned to the topic of a greater war tribunal taking place, in an effort to bring a sense of justice for what has happened over the past few months.  Since the prosecution of Nazi leaders in Nuremberg, war tribunals ha...

The Distortion of the Principle of Self-Defence - How Obama’s Drone Policy Undermined the International Rule of Law. Weaponised drones became a fundamental feature in Obama’s fight against terrorism. Despite significant push back from international organisations and scholars, who lamented the drones’ widespread and seemingly unchecked use across multiple different states, Obama’s policies and justifications proved that drone strikes, in the name of self-defence, were here to stay. Even with such conviction held by the Obama administration, there are still layers of uncertainty when it comes to questions of the international rule of law.  Modern conflict undoubtedly places a level of pressure on international law when seeking to offer guidance on the appropriate course of action in conflict. A balance however, must be struck between accepting modern tactics and technology, and respecting the traditional rule of law – put in place to keep a measure on violence. Obama howeve...