Chris Mirasola

Chris Mirasola is a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. His research focuses on using a historical approach to assess emerging issues of national security and international law, particularly as such issues implicate the People’s Republic of China. His current projects critique the law and practice for the use of the Armed Forces to enforce or aid in the enforcement of domestic law and explore the relationship between statehood and sovereignty, as those terms are understood as principles of international law.

From 2019 through 2022 Chris was an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense Office of General Counsel. During this time he provided legal advice on the domestic use of the Armed Forces, DoD humanitarian and security assistance activities, international agreements in the Western Hemisphere, the myriad activities of the Department of Defense regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and other national security matters. For this work he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Prior to graduate school he worked in the People’s Republic of China designing online teaching modules for criminal defense attorneys for an international non-profit organization and taught English.

Chris received a BA with Honors in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University in 2012 and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2018. While pursuing his JD Chris was on the teaching team for the Negotiation Workshop and courses related to law in the People’s Republic of China, and was published in law reviews on matters concerning complex international negotiations, how domestic law can shape international law, and the law of the sea.