Can 2023 posts help us foresee the key national security issues for 2024?

What do you think the key national security issues will be in 2024?  Perhaps considering some of the top Lawfire^® posts from 2023 will give us some direction.

Here’s a list of some Lawfire^® essays from last year that you might find helpful as you look ahead.  As you can see, they grappled with some very important – and difficult – issues!

Chuck Pede asks “Firing the Army chief prosecutor–is this what independence looks like?”  14 Dec 2023.

Brian Cox on “The Al-Ahli Hospital Explosion in Gaza Indicates International Law Is the First Casualty in War (Part I)”, 3 Dec. 2023 (Part II is here).

Charlie Kels on “Self-Defense Proportionality: In Defense of Self-Defense”, 25 Nov 2023.

Guest Essay: “Don’t give Hamas too much credit: the high school AV club has drones, too”, (LTC Paul Lushenko, PhD and Dr. Keith L. Carter) 16 Nov. 2023. 

Why Israeli operations in Gaza are legally complex, 28 Oct 2023.

Geoff Corn on “The Disproportionate Confusion About Proportionality”, 26 Oct 2023. 

Five ideas to counter Hamas’ lawfare strategy…and why,  15 Oct 2023. 

Don’t be misled: a commanding majority of Americans still solidly trust the military, 15 Aug 2023.

DoD’s law of war about-face is problematic for both civilians and warfighters, 4 Aug 2023.

The Supreme Court, affirmative action, and the military: some observations, 24 July 2023.

Dean Cheng on “China and Space: The Next Frontier of Lawfare”, 16 July 2023.

Geoff Corn on “The United States and Iran are in an Armed Conflict, and it is Time to Act Accordingly”, 28 Mar. 2023.

The Pentagon’s vaccine imbroglio: where to go from here?, 26 Mar. 2023.

Should the Pentagon block sharing U.S.-derived evidence with the ICC?, 19 Mar. 2023.

Prof. Nita Farahany on “The Battle for Your Brain: Neurotechnology and National Security”, 9 Mar 2023.

Why you may not see many accused Russian war criminals tried in U.S. courts, 2 Mar 2023.

The law and the U.S.’ new declaration on military uses of AI: some observations, 18 Feb 2023.

Guest Post: “The Chinese balloon shoot-down incident and the law: some observations”, (Lt Col Jay Jackson, Major Aaron Johnson, and Major Matt Montazzoli), 5 Feb 2023.

Guest Post: “Five Columns, Three Warfares, One East-Asia Under China: The Invisible Infiltration of Japan”, (Maj Alec Rice, USA), 30 Jan 2023.

CDR Tracy Reynolds on “China & the Moon & the Law”, 23 Jan 2023.

Would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have supported violence in defense of Ukrainians?, 16 Jan 2023.

Though not originally published in 2023, here are two posts that garnered a lot of interest from readers in 2023:

Yes, the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden was lawful, 31 Jan 2019.

Eight leadership lessons from the Navy carrier captain’s case, 27 Apr 2020.

I’d also invite you to take a look at these outstanding LENS Essays by Duke Law students (and a grad!) that were selected for publication in 2023:

Madison Cash, “Financial Jihad: Combating the Use of Virtual Assets in Terrorist Financing,” No. 21, Oct. 23, 2023.

Katie Fink, “Point and Shoot’: How Technology Blurs the Lines Between Civilians and Combatants,” No. 20, Aug. 7, 2023.

Riley Flewelling, “Not Just Words: Grappling with the Doxing of Civilians in War,” No. 19, July 25, 2023.

Ashley Dabiere, “Wartime Propaganda in the Age of Generative Chatbots,” No. 18, Jul. 3, 2023.

Ashley Dabiere, “Which Protectors Need More Protection? Analyzing Legal Possibilities of Reducing Patent Protection to Protect National Defense Companies,” No. 17, Mar. 23, 2023.

Major Daniel P. Beaulieu, USAF, “State Practice and Military Objectives: International Humanitarian Law Regarding Military Applications of Otherwise Civil/Commercial Satellites,” No. 16, Jan. 9, 2023.

Even as we may hope and pray for a peaceful year, experience tells us there will be new issues to address, so stay tuned to Lawfire^®!

Remember what we like to say on Lawfire^®: gather the facts, examine the law, evaluate the arguments – and then decide for yourself!