#626 Tanisha Fazal - Wars of Law: Unintended Consequences in the Regulation of Armed Conflict
RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 14th 2022.
Dr. Tanisha Fazal is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. Her research and teaching focus on sovereignty, international law, medical care in conflict zones, and armed conflict. From 2021–2023, she is also an Andrew Carnegie Fellow. She is the author of State Death: The Politics and Geography of Conquest, Occupation, and Annexation; and Wars of Law: Unintended Consequences in the Regulation of Armed Conflict.
In this episode, we focus on Wars of Law. We talk about the history of laws of war, and particularly declarations of war and peace treaties. We discuss their goals, the perverse incentives they introduce, their effects on rates of war initiation, who are their framers, and their biases. We talk about how rebel groups engage with them, and people that should be included in the future. We discuss several problems with Pinker’s decline-of-war thesis. Finally, we ask if laws of war disincentivize or try to eliminate war.
Time Links:
Intro
What are laws of war?
Declarations of war and peace treaties
Laws introduced during the XX century
The goals of laws of war
Rates of war initiation since WWII
What counts as “war”?
The framers of laws of war
Are these laws biased? Do they create perverse incentives?
Rebel groups, and how they engage with international humanitarian law
Civil wars
New people engaging in lawmaking efforts
Is it possible the remove the perverse incentives?
Problems with Steven Pinker’s decline-of-war thesis
Cyber armed conflict and lethal autonomous weapons systems
Do laws of war disincentivize or try to eliminate war?
Follow Dr. Fazal’s work!
Follow Dr. Fazal’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3nIbby8
Website: https://bit.ly/3bk4Ymr
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3bokOMG
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2ZvMLQe
Wars of Law: https://amzn.to/2ZvMRHA
Twitter handle: @tanishafazal