A dangerous middle-ground: terrorists, counter-terrorists, and gray-zone conflict. Issue 4 (20th October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Englund, Scott H.
• Is Part Of: Global affairs. Volume 5:Issue 4/5(2019)
• Page Start: 389
• Page End: 404
• Publication Date: 2019-10-20
• Subjects: Terrorism -- grey-zone conflict -- use of force -- international humanitarian law -- Iran -- United States; International relations -- Periodicals; World politics -- Periodicals; Geopolitics -- Periodicals; 327.05
• DOI: 10.1080/23340460.2019.1711438
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2334-0460

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In the Spring of 2019, the governments of United States and Iran designated elements of each other's armed forces as "terrorist organizations". In this paper, I will examine two examples of states pursuing their national interest in ways that involve force, but avoiding some of the liabilities associated with engaging in hostilities. First I examine United States' interpretation of the international humanitarian law protections for prisoners of war while executing its counter-terrorism in Afghanistan and the potential precedent that established. Second I consider the relevancy of gray zone or hybrid warfare tactics, using the Iranian operations in Iraq and Syria as an example. I make three conclusions about the potentially corrosive effects of permissive interpretations of prisoner of war protections, the inadequacy of current legal structures given new modes and motives for conflict, and the risk of underestimating the cost of some international signalling efforts.