Conferences and Symposia, Notable Websites and Blogs, Virtual Visit June 3, 2016

ICRC: Is the law of armed conflict in crisis and how to recommit to its respect? – 21 April 2016

http://youtu.be/XnSbYzP-Z_M https://www.icrc.org/en/document/law-armed-conflict-crisis-and-how-recommit-its-respect On 21 April 2016, the ICRC hosted a panel at the Humanitarium to discuss whether adherence to international humanitarian law (IHL) has been eroding in today’s armed conflicts and if so, how to rebuild respect for it. The panel also provided an opportunity to reflect on the role…

Articles, In The News May 26, 2016

NYTimes: U.S. Increases Antiterrorism Exercises With African Militaries and Long Emphasis on Terror May Hurt U.S. in Conventional War, Army Chief Says – 26 May and 15 May 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/africa/us-increases-antiterrorism-exercises-with-african-militaries.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share The training focuses on how to defend civilian targets on a continent that has become a significant battleground in the war against militant Islam. And see: See also: Govern, Kevin H., Smart Power for Hard Problems: The Role of Special Operation Forces Strengthening the Rule of Law and Human…

In The News, Recent & Past Publications May 26, 2016

NYTimes: Body Count Points to a Mexican Military Out of Control – 26 May 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/americas/mexican-militarys-high-kill-rate-raises-human-rights-fears.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share The statistics on deaths, which the government has stopped reporting, offer a rare glimpse into the Mexican military’s role in the war on organized crime. And see also: Govern, Kevin H., Reinforcing the Rule of Law and Human Rights in Mexico through U.S. Special Operations Forces Missions (Fall, 2013)….

Notable Websites and Blogs, Recent & Past Publications May 25, 2016

Modern War Institute: The State of Military Leadership in the 21st Century – 24 May 2016

http://modernwarinstitute.org/state-military-leadership-21st-century/ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5497331ae4b0148a6141bd47/t/573f9413f85082130765745c/1463784485378/%23LEADERSHIP+Series+from+The+Strategy+Bridge.pdf MWI non-resident fellow Nathan Finney led a team of authors and editors in the creation of a volume on Military Leadership in the 21st Century, published on The Bridge . The articles in this document assess the current state of leadership in the military and identify key elements…

Notable Websites and Blogs May 24, 2016

Modern War Institute: The Efficacy of Landpower: Landpower and American Credibility – 23 May 2016

http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/issues/Winter_2015-16/5_Hunzeker.pdf http://www.modernwarinstitute.org/efficacy-landpower-landpower-american-credibility/ Modern War Institute Non-Resident Fellow Michael Allen Hunzeker and Dartmouth College post-doctoral fellow Alexander Lanoszka argue American landpower helps make America’s conventional and nuclear security guarantees credible. Since these guarantees stabilize alliances, deter aggression, and curb nuclear proliferation, landpower’s relative decline could have serious implications for the broader…

In The News, This Day In History & Historical Perspectives May 23, 2016

NYTimes: Obama Confirms Death of Mullah Mansour, Taliban Leader, in U.S. Strike – 23 May 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/24/world/asia/obama-mullah-mansour-taliban-killed.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share An American drone strike in a restive province of Pakistan killed Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, the White House confirmed on Monday. Calling the death “an important milestone,” President Obama said in a statement, released just as he was meeting with top officials in…

In The News May 23, 2016

NYTimes: Vietnam Arms Embargo to Be Fully Lifted, Obama Says in Hanoi – 23 May 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/24/world/asia/vietnam-us-arms-embargo-obama.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share HANOI, Vietnam — The United States is rescinding a decades-old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to Vietnam, President Obama announced at a news conference in Hanoi on Monday, ending one of the last legal vestiges of the Vietnam War.