Report on the Legal Framework Regulating Proxy Warfare

The cover of the report, Legal Framework Regulating Proxy Warfare. Pictured: As part of Operation Roundup—the offensive to eliminate pockets of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Syria—Syrian Democratic Forces watch the aftermath of an airstrike on an ISIS location near the Iraq-Syria border. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Defense Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Kosher (2018).

On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, the ABA's Center for Human Rights and Rule of Law Initiative launched their joint-report, The Legal Framework Regulating Proxy Warfare with an event co-sponsored by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, the American Society for International Law, and the Stimson Center. The launch event featured panelists from the Expert Working Group, who developed the content of the Report itself- by examining whether gaps in the law have contributed to the adverse impacts of proxy warfare and made recommendations on how to reduce these risks. The panelists were Stephen Tankel (moderator), Associate Professor at American University and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security; Brittany Benowitz, Chief Counsel for the ABA's Center for Human Rights; Linda Bishai, Adjunct professor at George Washington University; Daniel Byman, Senior Associate Dean at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy; and Rachel Stohl, Managing Director, Stimson Center.

Featuring a number of case studies, including the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria, the report examines how global and regional powers increasingly rely on state and non-state partners in the course of ongoing hostilities, particularly those occurring in the Middle East and North Africa. Research suggests that such support of armed proxies increases the risk of civilian casualties and protracted conflict.

Read the full report.
To listen to the audio recording from the event, visit this page.
To view additional photos from the event, visit the Facebook Album.

Members of the Report's Expert Working Group present during the launch event on December 10, 2019. Pictured from left to right: Stephen Tankel, Brittany Benowitz, Linda Bishai, Daniel Byman, and Rachel Stohl.

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