Borderless Wars - Civil Military Disorder and Legal Uncertainty

In 2011, Nasser Al-Awlaki, a terrorist on the US 'kill list' in Yemen, was targeted by the CIA. A week later, a military strike killed his son. The following year, the US Ambassador to Pakistan resigned, undermined by CIA-conducted drone strikes of which he had no knowledge or control. The demands of the new, borderless 'gray area' conflict have cast civilians and military into unaccustomed roles with inadequate legal underpinning. As the Department of Homeland Security defends against cyber threats and civilian contractors work in paramilitary roles abroad, the legal boundaries of war demand to be outlined. In this book, former Under Secretary of the Air Force Antonia Chayes examines these new 'gray areas' in counterinsurgency, counter-terrorism and cyber warfare. Her innovative solutions for role definition and transparency will establish new guidelines in a rapidly evolving military-legal environment. - Provides suggestions for improved policy approaches which will be of use to scholars and lawmakers - By drawing connections between legal and military gray areas, this book establishes a new conceptual framework for understanding the war on terror - Gives an up-to-date review of the debate over the legality of drone strikes

1. Introduction 2. Civil-military relations: from theory to policy 3. The counterinsurgency dilemma 4. Civil-military implications: the demands of a counterinsurgency strategy 5. Legal implications of counterinsurgency: opportunities missed but not lost 6. Counterterrorism: the unquiet warfare of targeted killings 7. Civil-military policy issues in targeted killing by UAVs 8. The legal underpinnings for targeted killing by UAV: framing the issues 9. Opportunities for stepping forward 10. Cyber attacks and cyber war: framing the issues 11. Implications for civil-military relations in cyber attacks and cyber war 12. Legal implications of cyber attacks and cyber war 13. International cooperation on training wheels 14. Conclusion: the end is the beginning.