Aurel Sari
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aurelsari.com
Aurel Sari
@aurelsari.com
Professor of Public International Law, University of Exeter
The Helsinki District Court published its decision today in the Eagle S case, holding that the damage done to Finnish submarine cables was an 'incident of navigation' under UNCLOS and hence it had no jurisdiction. Quelle surprise.

Short official statement: tuomioistuimet.fi/material/sit...
tuomioistuimet.fi
October 3, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
"To get around these fundamental problems, the administration relies on the President making both factual and legal determinations by sheer fiat. In doing so, POTUS is giving himself a license to kill based on his own determinations and designations.”

theintercept.com/2025/10/02/v...
Leaked Document Justifies Boat Strikes as “Non-International Armed Conflict”
“The Trump administration is saying that one person — the president — now decides if the United States is going to war.”
theintercept.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:50 PM
provo, utah
October 1, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Just today: been asked to provide ETA by airline as a condition of boarding with no simple way of proving that I do not need one. I fully expect to be denied boarding at some point.
October 1, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Yet Again: The U.K. Government Mischaracterizes Its Obligation to Prevent Genocide in Gaza

By Professors @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social and @janinadill.bsky.social

#UnitedKingdom #Gaza #Diplomacy
U.K.'s mischaracterization of obligation to prevent genocide in Gaza
Legal experts argue that the United Kingdom's government has misconstrued how its duties under the Genocide Convention apply to Gaza.
www.justsecurity.org
September 26, 2025 at 11:03 AM
September 27, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Full points to @rosatkins.bsky.social for the effort to get the law right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ros Atkins on... Israel's war in Gaza and proportionality
BBC Verify asked experts, in the UK and elsewhere, if Israel’s actions in Gaza have been proportionate.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 12, 2025 at 10:52 AM
'Might or might not have been an act of war' - sure, but measured against what standard?

Under the law of armed conflict, the incident would seem to qualify as an international armed conflict though...
Hi All, Great new Europe Dispatch column by @alanderminna.bsky.social The attack on Poland might or might not have been an act of war--but it needs a European response. All Russian drones that enter the air space of NATO European countries should be shot down. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...
War Is In the Eye Of the Beholder
The State of the European Union speech took place while the Russian drone incursion into Poland was still unfolding. And that's pretty much the state of the EU, Minna Ålander writes.
open.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Striking Drug Cartels under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict

By top laws of war expert @mikeschmitt.bsky.social

www.justsecurity.org/120235/drug-...
Striking Drug Cartels under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict
Legal expert discusses laws of war and law on the resort to force in U.S. military action against Venezuela's Tren de Aragua.
www.justsecurity.org
September 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Take a look @aurelsari.com's new article, exploring a provocative topic:

As tech innovation changes the realities of war, do the old rules still apply?

Part of @carnegieendowment.org series edited by @warmatters.bsky.social and myself!

👇👇

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
War and Law in a Digital World
As technological innovation continues to change the realities of war, the lack of agreement about how pre-digital rules apply to the digitalized battlespace risk turning legal arguments in an extensio...
carnegieendowment.org
June 27, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
🆕| As technological innovation continues to change the realities of war, the lack of agreement about how pre-digital rules apply to the digitalized battlespace risk turning legal arguments into an extension of conflicts.

@aurelsari.com's latest for @carnegieendowment.org👇
War and Law in a Digital World
As technological innovation continues to change the realities of war, the lack of agreement about how pre-digital rules apply to the digitalized battlespace risk turning legal arguments in an extensio...
carnegieendowment.org
June 26, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Orakhelashvili: Research Handbook on Jurisdiction and Immunities in International Law
Alexander Orakhelashvili (Univ. of Birmingham - Law) has published the second edition of Research Handbook on Jurisdiction and Immunities in International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2025). Here's the abstract: This updated Research Handbook presents a comprehensive analysis of the international law of jurisdiction and immunities, examining the mutual interdependence between the two as well as shedding light on the implications. Featuring diverse contributions from leading experts, emerging scholars, and practitioners, it provides an impartial perspective on the applicable international law. Incorporating novel insights and recent developments, the Research Handbook covers key topics including the concept of universal jurisdiction, the differentiation of immunities from jurisdiction, and immunity claims in various types of judicial proceedings. It discusses the complex legal questions that arise when a state asserts its jurisdiction over persons that are based abroad or are not citizens of that state, and analyzes the immunity of foreign states and international organizations. Considering the impact of recent legislation, court cases and events, this revised second edition highlights ongoing trends and controversies surrounding jurisdiction and immunities in the context of international law.      
dlvr.it
June 20, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
The @geneva-academy.ch’s #IHL in Focus Report (2025) reveals a resurgence of international armed conflicts. Erica Harper emphasizes that these developments must be understood as a clarion call for #conflict #prevention. lieber.westpoint.edu/war-reloaded...
War Reloaded: The Erosion of Norms and the Urgency of Prevention - Lieber Institute West Point
The IHL in Focus Report reveals a resurgence of IACs and emphasizes that such developments are a clarion call for conflict prevention.
lieber.westpoint.edu
June 17, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Come do a PhD at @forsvarshogskolan.bsky.social. You could be supervised by some of my fantastic colleagues while working in a vibrant, pluralistic & highly engaged research environment.

These positions are fully salaried & come with a research budget of 30k SEK a year fhs.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
PhD students in War Studies
The Department of War Studies conducts research and education in the subject of War Studies. The department consists of about 160 employees and has about 1000 students and participants in commissioned
fhs.varbi.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
Reminds me of the NATO bombing of Radio Television Serbia in 1999.

Someone involved in the targeting for that strike told me the attack was conducted despite concerns that the RTS facility was not a lawful military objective—an issue later scrutinized by the ICTY.
www.icty.org/en/press/fin...
June 16, 2025 at 3:50 PM
More like @theguardian.com woefully misunderstands the relevant law: the 1884 Cable Convention most definitely does not govern “much of the law of the sea in relation to these highly sophisticated cables carrying hi-tech data”

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
UK ‘woefully’ unprepared for Chinese and Russian undersea cable sabotage, says report
CSRI finds China and Russia may be coordinating ‘grey zone’ tactics against vulnerable western infrastructure
www.theguardian.com
June 16, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
As attention has shifted to Iran, killing in Gaza proceeds in a steady pace, with people seeking food targeted daily.

In “Almost Genocide” I try to refocus legal thinking on Gaza, and to contribute to a broader discussion of state intent.

verfassungsblog.de/almost-genoc...
“Almost Genocide”
verfassungsblog.de
June 15, 2025 at 3:11 PM
It shouldn't be very hard for politicians and journalists to grasp that should one country interfere with the exercise of lawful self-defence by another, it potentially opens itself up to acts of lawful self-defence.
June 15, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Assuming this moves in the direction of student-AI teaming, where students adapt material generated by AI rather than simply copy-paste it, and assuming universities are not okay with that, then it is difficult to see any other solution but in person assessment.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Revealed: Thousands of UK university students caught cheating using AI
Guardian investigation finds almost 7,000 proven cases of cheating – and experts says these are tip of the iceberg
www.theguardian.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:20 AM
funny how you can spot some folks from a mile away, eg British officers and Russians
June 12, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I mean, why not?
June 11, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Reposted by Aurel Sari
A #sociotechnicalsystems approach has been applied to the use of #AI in various settings, but can be especially valuable in the #military context, argues Mitt Regan. lieber.westpoint.edu/military-ai-...
Military AI as Sociotechnical Systems - Lieber Institute West Point
Conceptualizing weapons as sociotechnical systems enables us to focus on risks arising with any incorporation of AI into the use of a weapon.
lieber.westpoint.edu
June 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Fascinating and worrying in equal measure - do read this by Nita Farahany. I wonder what drives this behaviour: some survival instinct or prioritising the initial tasks the system has been set? Both raise serious questions for military AI.
It's not just about whether we regulate #AI or not. But whether we will even have the moral standing to do so.

open.substack.com/pub/staytune...
When AI Refuses to Die
Congress must decide whether to look the other way
open.substack.com
June 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM
A step in the right direction
June 10, 2025 at 2:06 PM