Law and Ethics

International law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, rules of engagement, jus in Bello, jus ad bellum, jus pos bellum, status of forces agreements, pre-emptive action, moral dilemmas, values and transmission of values.

Current Co-Chairs and contacts for working group:

Afton Maisonneuve, Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, daniel@danielsommers.ca

Daniel Sommers, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Canada, amaisonneuve@kellysantini.com  

_{Daniel P.W.A. Sommers has been practising alternative dispute resolution, civil litigation, and criminal defence law for a decade, and has litigated, negotiated, and settled over a thousand cases. He has extensive training and experience in resolving conflict and has litigated cases at every level of Court in Ontario, as well as at the Supreme Court of Canada.}

_{Over the years Daniel has served in the Canadian Army Reserve as an infantry soldier, armour officer, and infantry officer. He now serves as a reserve legal officer with the Office of the Judge Advocate General.}

 

Afton Maisonneuve is a Solicitor at Kelly Santini LLP in Ottawa and a reservist in the Infantry (Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa). She is a former varsity athlete (uOttawa Gee-Gees women’s Rugby & Quebec provincial Rugby team), and a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s National Program, with a degree in Civil Law (LL.L) and Common Law (J.D.). She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2018. Her bachelor’s degree is in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa. She currently practices in real-estate, corporate and estates and her main interests in academy are military law, constitutional law and international humanitarian law. She is the winner of the 2017 Canadian Bar Association’s Sword & Scale essay contest with her paper titled Neither Charity nor Special Treatment: Amendments to Sustainably Modernize the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act, which she wrote during her articles. She is also published in the area of medical assistance in dying and is mentioned in the Oxford Handbook of the Canadian Constitution for her work on Amending the Constitution of Canada. Afton spends her free time playing sports, cooking, spending with friends & family, and volunteering.

Past Chairs:

Commander Fredrik Holst, Swedish National Defence College, fredrik.holst@fhs.se 

Professor Dr. Maja Eriksson, Swedish National Defence College Maja.ErikssonKirilova@fhs.se 

Scope: the aim and purpose of the Working Group

(The entries below are placeholders, which should be updated by the Working Group Chairs in consultation with participants and contributors to the group.)

This working group seeks jurists, philosophers and practicing military lawyers who have an interest in contemporary military operations and their legal aspects. A wide range of legal and philosophical subjects are of interest to the contributors in this working group. 

Keyword descriptors

Law, ethics, norms, rules, regulations, military law, trials, morals, morality, courts, law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law

Topics addressed in previous conferences

Security and Law; “Lawfare”; Legal and Ethical Implications of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems; Rules of Engagement in peacekeeping; 

 

Current Working Group Activities

The working group is looking for contributors to prepare an annual digest of new and influential materials, including books, journal articles, and research projects, for the benefit of participants and institutional members.

History of the Working Group

This is one of the original eight working groups of the ISMS established at Amsterdam in 2008.

Related Contact information

International Committee of the Red Cross

Competition on International Humanitarian Law for Military Academies (San Remo)

You may also be interested in...

Ethics and International Affairs, the Journal of the Carnegie Council, the Journal of the Carnegie Council

Guide to Researching Military Law, University of Windsor, Canada, University of Windsor, Canada

Journal of Conflict and Security Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford University Press