Kubo Mačák
@KuboMacak
About/Bio
Dr Kubo Mačák is Professor of International Law at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Kubo is the author of the book Internationalized Armed Conflicts in International Law (Oxford University Press 2018) and of multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals including the International Review of the Red Cross, the Journal of Cyber Policy, and the Journal of Conflict and Security Law. Kubo is also the General Editor of the Cyber Law Toolkit, an interactive online resource on the international law of cyber operations. Between 2019 and 2023, he served as a legal adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.
Recently Published
Strengthening the rule of law in time of war: An IHL perspective on the present and future of the Articles on State Responsibility
August 6, 2021
Kubo Mačák
International humanitarian law is one of the oldest areas of international law. As such, it was unsurprisingly a key source for the International Law Commission in its work on the Draft Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (hereafter ‘Articles’). This is apparent, among other things, from the frequent references to IHL in Special Rapporteur Crawford’s…
Even ‘cyber wars’ have limits. But what if they didn’t?
In today’s digitalizing world, States and non-State armed groups increasingly employ cyber capabilities in their military operations, and their use is likely to grow. Still, there is a debate – most prominently in the framework of the two multilateral processes under the auspices of the United Nations – as to how the existing international legal frameworks apply to…
The Ituri Conundrum: Qualifying Conflicts between an Occupying Power and an Autonomous Non-State Actor
July 15, 2019
Kubo Mačák
Last week, Trial Chamber VI of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the long-awaited judgment in the Ntaganda case. The judges found the defendant guilty on all 18 counts, including the ICC’s first ever conviction for sexual slavery. Although the Chamber is yet to resolve matters related to sentencing and reparations, the decision marks an important milestone…
Popular articles by Kubo Mačák
Nothing is certain but death and taxes (unless you get hacked): An international law perspective on Ukraine’s cyber attack against Russia’s Federal Tax Service
December 14, 2023
Kubo Mačák
Talk about bad timing. This week, all international lawyers with a little more than passing interest in all things cyber have their eyes on – or are themselves in – New York. That’s because the UN “Cyber OEWG”, a shorthand for an open-ended working group with a much longer name, is in session to discuss,…
Was the Downing of the Russian Jet by Turkey Illegal?
November 26, 2015
Kubo Mačák
There has been much talk of improvement of the relationship between Russia and the West following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris two weeks ago. Whatever gains have been made on that front will risk being reversed following Tuesday’s incident involving the Russian and Turkish air forces. Although the exact facts are—and likely will…
No Legal Basis under IHL for Detention in Non-International Armed Conflicts? A Comment on Serdar Mohammed v. Ministry of Defence
May 5, 2014
Kubo Mačák
On any account of the events that transpired one early April morning four years ago in northern Helmand in Afghanistan, the plight of Mr Serdar Mohammed is not to be envied. For reasons that are still in dispute, he was captured by the UK armed forces close to his home. Shot at, bitten by a military dog, and…