Trump and the Law of Armed Conflict

For John, BLUF:  So, was Secretary of State Clinton properly advising the President when we overthrew the regime in Libya?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the Web Presence The Conversation we have retired Air Force JAG Charlie Dunlap on "Trump’s campaign rhetoric, ISIS and the law of war".

Here are the last two paragraphs:

Looking ahead, it is significant that Trump recently acknowledged that the U.S. “is bound by laws and treaties” and that as president he would “not order a military officer to disobey the law.” Instead, he said he would “seek [the] advice” of military and other officials.

This is good news, and something all the candidates – and their critics – ought to embrace, as applying the law of war in the 21st century is much more complicated than many think. Words do matter, and where the nation’s security is concerned, no words can be more important.

The author explores not just the Law of Armed Conflict, but also Just War and other aspects of what nations are permitted, or not permitted to do, such as reprisals.  A very interesting read and it applies to all the Candidates.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Retired Major General Dunlap, a graduate of the National War College, has a particular interest in civil-military relations.  He is the author of The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012, which was his award winning paper at the National War College, exploring issues of how civil-military relations can go off the rails.  Smart students are easy students to advise.