Prerequisite: Public International Law

Exam Type: No Exam

How does international law define terrorism? In what ways is terrorism framed as an international problem requiring international solutions? Are contemporary counterterrorism approaches in tension with the rules of international law? This course will introduce students to the rules, policies, and institutions of international efforts to combat terrorism. We will explore how these efforts operate within the system of public international law and how they interact with legal regimes within that system, including the law of war and international human rights law. We will examine how, particularly after September 11, 2001, global approaches to countering terrorism may weaken or strengthen existing international legal frameworks and multilateral institutions.

Readings will draw from a variety of primary sources (including terrorism-suppression treaties, United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and select municipal legislative and enforcement frameworks) as well as academic and policy literature related to terrorism and counterterrorism. The course will focus on real-world interpretive dilemmas, legal challenges to counterterrorism approaches, and related complex decision-making.