Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This two-credit seminar will examine a series of significant legal and policy challenges confronting national security lawyers in today’s dynamic threat environment, including:

• The debate over foreign intelligence surveillance
• Nation-state cyber threats
• The persistent threat of terrorism, both international and domestic
• The transfer of sensitive technologies to adversary nations
• Transnational repression by authoritarian regimes
• The security risks posed by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies

The class will explore these issues from the perspective of practicing national security lawyers in both the government and the private sector. We will focus on the operational context in which these challenges arise and the legal and policy issues at stake. We will use real world national security controversies to explore underlying questions of executive authority and separation of powers, transformational technologies, and the role of the national security lawyer.

The core requirement of the seminar is informed and thoughtful engagement with these issues through short essay papers and classroom discussion.