Product Description
Abstract
Today, most warfare is conducted with and through partners. As of March 2017, for example, the U.S. State Department identified 68 States and international institutions that formed the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In every partnership, each member brings its own legal interpretations, policy priorities, and military capabilities. Reconciling these disparate elements often poses significant difficulties, not least for legal advisors. While partnered warfare is by no means a recent invention, it is nonetheless vital that, in order to protect civilians, those who may be involved in or otherwise affected by such operations understand relevant risks and challenges.
This one-session case study zooms in on one of the pivotal decision points in contemporary partnered conflicts: whether or not to share intelligence with a partner. With a focus on managing legal responsibility and protecting civilians, participants are primed to quickly weigh countervailing considerations, navigate interoperability challenges, and make strategic decisions in high-pressure, time-sensitive, complex operations involving several States and non-state armed groups. While fictionalized, the simulation exercise — which involves a growing threat from a designated terrorist group to a civilian population and several States — draws from experiences of recent diverse coalition operations.
This case study’s general background document acquaints participants with foundations of the law and highlights ways to manage risk. The other case materials provide information about the simulation exercise’s setting as well as instructions for each of the simulation exercise’s six partners.
Learning Objectives
• Understand key issues and tensions concerning protection of civilians and military effectiveness in contemporary partnered operations, with a focus on State responsibility for internationally wrongful acts and individual responsibility for international crimes; and
• Develop and implement sound approaches to addressing those concerns when deciding whether to share intelligence—and, if so, under what conditions—among partners.
Subjects Covered
International humanitarian law, international criminal law, protection of civilians, intelligence sharing, military coalitions, terrorism, war crimes, State responsibility, counterterrorism, human rights, national security, due diligence.
Setting
Geographic: Fictionalized scenario drawn from several real contemporary armed conflict situations
Event Year Begin: N/A
Accessibility
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Educator Materials
All materials for this case study are available free of charge, including a teacher’s manual for this case study, which is available to educators and staff at non-profit institutions, as well as to for-profit trainers. Please create an account or sign in with your credentials to gain access to these materials.
Copyright Information
Please note that each purchase of this product entitles the purchaser to one download and use. If you need multiple copies, please purchase the number of copies you need. For more information, see Copying Your Case Study.
