Michael Schmitt
About/Bio
Michael Schmitt is Professor of International Law, University of Reading; G. Norman Lieber Distinguished Scholar, West Point; Professor Emeritus and Charles H. Stockton Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, US Naval War College; Visiting Research Professor, International Institute of Humanitarian Law; and Senior Fellow, NATO Cyber Defence Center of Excellence.
Recently Published
Israel’s Use of Force Against Syria and the Right of Self-Defense
On December 8, the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), augmented by other rebel forces, successfully overthrew the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad following more than five decades of rule by his family. As Assad’s regime fell, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a bombing campaign involving hundreds of air strikes in Syria against missiles, air…
Ireland Takes Key Stands on International Law in Cyberspace
July 19, 2023
Michael Schmitt
On July 6th, Ireland released its Position Paper on the Application of International Law in Cyberspace. Coming on the heels of the 2021 UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE, on cyberspace) “Official Compendium,” which contained the views of 15 nations, and the 2022 publication of Canada’s position (…
Canada Takes on International Law in Cyberspace
July 14, 2022
Michael Schmitt
This April, Global Affairs Canada (GAC, the foreign ministry) released Canada’s position on the application of international law in cyberspace. Unfortunately, for two reasons, the statement failed to attract the attention it merited. First, Canada released it on the heels of the 2019-21 U.N. Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) Report on State…
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Popular articles by Michael Schmitt
Foreign Cyber Interference in Elections: An International Law Primer, Part I
October 16, 2020
Michael Schmitt
With US elections looming, it is a propitious moment to examine the international law rules bearing on foreign interference in this fundamental expression of democracy. Sadly, little appears to have changed since the US intelligence community concluded with a “high degree of confidence” that “Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed…
Israel’s Use of Force Against Syria and the Right of Self-Defense
On December 8, the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), augmented by other rebel forces, successfully overthrew the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad following more than five decades of rule by his family. As Assad’s regime fell, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a bombing campaign involving hundreds of air strikes in Syria against missiles, air…
Foreign Cyber Interference in Elections: An International Law Primer, Part II
October 16, 2020
Michael Schmitt
Part I of this series examined attribution as the first element of cyber election interference as an internationally wrongful act, and then looked at the prohibition of intervention as a possible primary rule that such interference can breach. Now, in Part II, I will examine the possible breaches of the obligation to respect sovereignty and of international human…