See more publications by Prof. Dunlap

Be sure to check the Lawfire blog http://sites.duke.edu/lawfire/ for more commentary!

Return to Sender?: Analyzing the 'Open Letter' on U.S. Civil-Military Relations, (May 16, 2023). Duke Law School Public Law & Legal Theory Series No. 2023-29, (May 16, 2023) available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=4430299

The Law Of Armed—and Unmanned—Conflict, Modern War Institute, Nov. 5, 2021, https://mwi.usma.edu/the-law-of-armed-and-unmanned-conflict/

Finding the Right U.S. Defense Leaders, JUST SECURITY, Aug. 28, 2020, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/72217/finding-the-right-u-s-defense-leaders/

• Lessons from 9/11 Can Help Build Better Contact Tracing App, THE HILL, May 11, 2020, available at https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/497223-lessons-from-9-11-can-help-build-better-contact-tracing-app.
• Reasonable People Can Differ On Trump's Military Justice Actions, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, December 11, 2019, available at https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/reasonable-people-can-differ-trumps-military-justice-actions.
• Trump's Military Pardons Not Likely To Hurt Morale, Discipline, BREAKING DEFENSE, December 11, 2019, available at https://breakingdefense.com/2019/12/trumps-military-pardons-not-likely-to-hurt-morale-discipline/.
• Keep Calm And Carry On: Neither "Private Armies" Nor "Foreign Forces" Are Heading Up The Potomac, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, November 12, 2019, available at https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/keep-calm-and-carry-neither-private-armies-nor-foreign-forces-are-heading-potomac.
• Clarifying the Scope of the Legal Profession's Ethical Responsibilities: A Response to John Bies, LAWFARE, October 17, 2019, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/clarifying-scope-legal-professions-ethical-responsibilities-response-john-bies.
• Trump's next top military adviser wants Americans to forget 4 'myths' about war, but he needs to explain a few things first, BUSINESS INSIDER, August 29, 2019, available at https://www.businessinsider.in/trumps-next-top-military-adviser-wants-americans-to-forget-4-myths-about-war-but-he-needs-to-explain-a-few-things-first/articleshow/70845679.cms.
• Reviewing the Facts on Trump's Proposed Pardons in Military Justice Cases, LAWFARE, June 10, 2019, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/reviewing-facts-trumps-proposed-pardons-military-justice-cases.
• Booksplat: A Misfire on the Use of Force by Western Democracies, 21(2) J. of GENOCIDE RESEARCH 280-288, June 2019, available at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2019.1589937.
• Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations, JUST SECURITY, March 18, 2019, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/63281/body-counts-are-terrible-way-for-the-public-to-assess-us-counter-terrorism-operations/.
• Housing privatization brings corporate attitude onto bases, AIR FORCE TIMES, March 10, 2019, available at https://www.airforcetimes.com/opinion/commentary/2019/03/10/housing-privatization-brings-corporate-attitude-onto-bases/.
• The Golsteyn Case and Civilian Oversight in Military Justice, LAWFARE, Jan. 17, 2019, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/golsteyn-case-and-civilian-oversight-military-justice.
• A Qualified Defense of Matthew Whitaker, LAWFARE, Nov. 19, 2018, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/qualified-defense-matthew-whitaker.
• Can We Talk? The Obligation of Military Service, WAR ON THE ROCKS, June 20, 2018, available at https://warontherocks.com/2018/06/can-we-talk-the-obligation-of-military-service/. 

Will the Military Be Collateral Damage in the New York Times-Trump Conflict?, LAWFARE, June 17, 2018, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/will-military-be-collateral-damage-new-york-times-trump-conflict.

• Letter to the Editor: Why Larger Defense Budgets Don't Need to Come at the Expense of "Soft Power," JUST SECURITY, June 13, 2018, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/57724/larger-defense-budgets-dont-expense-soft-power/.
• Targeting of Persons: The Contemporary Challenges, 51 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 887 (2018), available at https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/faculty_scholarship/3799/.
• Clarifying the Law of Military Orders: Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., responds to Christopher Fonzone, CAAFLog, May 14, 2018, available at http://www.caaflog.com/2018/05/14/clarifying-the-law-of-military-orders-charles-j-dunlap-jr-responds-to-christopher-fonzone/.
• Let’s Temper the Rhetoric About Civil-Military Relations, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, May 11, 2018, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/lets-temper-rhetoric-about-civil-military-relations
• Want to save teens? Driving restrictions could save at least as many lives as gun control, THE HILL, Mar. 6, 2018, available at http://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/376956-want-to-save-teens-driving-restrictions-could-save-at-least-as-many
• Why the Mueller Indictment Doesn't Allege the Russians Swung the Election,  LAWFARE, Feb. 22, 2018, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/why-mueller-indictment-doesnt-allege-russians-swung-election
• Let’s Leave “Crisis” and “Emergency” For the Real Thing, JUST SECURITY, Feb. 14, 2018, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/52280/lets-leave-crisis-emergency-real/.
• The Case for a Big, Beautiful Military Parade, THE ATLANTIC, Feb. 9, 2018, available at https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/should-we-have-a-military-apUpreciation-parade-absolutely/552854/
• No, Ceasefires and Armistices Are Not “outmoded”, JUST SECURITY, Jan 28, 2018, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/51285/no-ceasefires-armistices-outmoded/
• Can Defense Counsel Ever Be Lawfully Surveilled by the Government? JUST SECURITY, Oct 31, 2017, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/46548/defense-counsel-lawfully-surveilled-government/
• Letter to the Editor: How Steve Vladeck’s Response Makes My Case, JUST SECURITY, Sept 13, 2017, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/44940/letter-editor-steve-vladecks-response-case/
• A Baker’s Dozen of Additional Questions for the Russia Investigation, JUST SECURITY, August 30, 2017, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/44504/bakers-dozen-additional-questions-russia-investigation/
• Is The Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Immoral?, WAR ON THE ROCKS, Aug. 2, 2017, available at https://warontherocks.com/2017/08/is-the-treaty-banning-nuclear-weapons-immoral/.
• Letter to the Editor: There Is Much More to a Civilian Casualty Investigation than Eyewitness Accounts, JUST SECURITY, July 17, 2017,  available at https://www.justsecurity.org/43148/letter-editor-civilian-casualty-investigation-eyewitness-accounts/
• On Israeli Airstrikes in Syria—Lawful and No Need for Transparency, JUST SECURITY, May 8 ,2017, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/40612/israeli-airstrikes-syria-lawful-transparency/
• U.S. missile strike in Syria sends message, Duke professor says, WRAL, April 7, 2017, available at http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/16632199/.  

• Understanding War-Sustaining Targeting: A Rejoinder to Iulia Padeanu, YALE J. of INT’L L. FORUM, April 6, 2017, available at http://campuspress.yale.edu/yjil/understanding-war-sustaining-targeting-a-rejoinder-to-iulia-padeanu/.

• The U.S. Response To Syria And North Korea, DUKETODAY, April 6, 2017, available at
  https://today.duke.edu/2017/04/us-response-syria-and-north-korea.

• Civilians In Mosul Remain Trapped. NPR MORNING EDITION, March 30, 2017, available at http://www.npr.org/2017/03/30/522015675/civilians-in-mosul-remain-trapped.

• Why the Foreign Policy Sky is Not Falling, JUST SECURITY, Mar. 29, 2017, available at
  https://www.justsecurity.org/39337/foreign-policy-sky-falling. 

• Why a Russia probe may make the left squirm, too, not just the right, THE HILL, Mar. 8, 2017, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/322948-why-a-russia-probe-may-make-the-left-squirm-not-just.

• A Squarable Circle?: The Revised DoD Law of War Manual and the Challenge of Human Shields, LAWFARE, Dec. 16, 2016, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/35597/squarable-circle-revised-dod-law-war-manual-challenge-human-shields/.

• Don't discriminate against vets who want to serve new administration, THE HILL, Dec. 8, 2016, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/309405-dont-discriminate-against-vets-like-mattis-who-want-to-serve-new.

• Trump’s Cabinet of ex-generals will help keep him out of wars, not push him into one,   VOX, Dec. 7, 2016, available at http://www.vox.com/world/2016/12/7/13868622/trump-mattis-general-colin-powell-mad-dog-petraeus.

• It's wrong to suppress the military vote, THE HILL, Oct. 20, 2016, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/302082-its-wrong-to-suppress-the-military-vote#disqus_thread.

• Why Declarations of War Matter, HARVARD LAW’S NATIONAL SECURITY JOURNAL, Aug. 30, 2016, available at http://harvardnsj.org/2016/08/why-declarations-of-war-matter/.

• A Pardon for Petraeus, WASHINGTON TIMES, Aug. 29, 2016, available at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/29/obama-should-pardon-david-petraeus/.

• Why Doesn’t the ABA Consider Discrimination Based on Military or Veteran Status to be an Ethics Violation?, JUST SECURITY, Aug. 24, 2016, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/32542/doesnt-aba-discrimination-based-military-veteran-status-ethics-violation/.

• Do Both Candidates Support More Aggressive Material Support Litigation?, LAWFARE, Aug. 22, 2016, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/do-both-candidates-support-more-aggressive-material-support-litigation.

• The Moral Hazard of Inaction in War, WAR ON THE ROCKS, Aug. 19., 2016, available at http://warontherocks.com/2016/08/the-moral-hazard-of-inaction-in-war/.

• Facts that may be surprising about the U.S defense budget, THE HERALD-SUN, July 9, 2016, available at http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/facts-that-may-be-surprising-about-the-u-s-defense/article_c6edabcc-431b-11e6-a2ad-c311e2471884.html (last visited July 19, 2016).

• Is the U.S. military strategy doing more harm or good in the Middle East?, THE CONVERSATION, May 9, 2016, available at https://theconversation.com/is-the-u-s-military-strategy-doing-more-harm-or-good-in-the-middle-east-59151 (last visited May 23, 2016).

• Yes, We Can Lawfully Target Islamic State Trainees Preparing to Conduct Terrorist Attacks in Europe and Elsewhere, JUST SECURITY, Mar. 25, 2016, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/30228/lawfully-target-isil-trainees-preparing-terrorist-attacks-europe/#more-30228 (last visited Mar. 25, 2016).

• Getting The Law Right on Carpet Bombing and Civilian Casualties, WAR ON THE ROCKS, Mar. 23, 2016, available at http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/getting-the-law-right-on-carpet-bombing-and-civilian-casualties/ (last visited Mar. 24, 2016).

• Why can't the media be more transparent about drones?, THE HILL, Mar. 21, 2016, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/273717-why-cant-the-media-be-more-transparent-about-drones (last visited Mar. 24, 2016).

• Trump’s campaign rhetoric, ISIS and the law of war, THE CONVERSATION, Mar. 9, 2016, available at https://theconversation.com/trumps-campaign-rhetoric-isis-and-the-law-of-war-55807 (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• A Report Card on the Stimson Report Card, LAWFARE, Mar. 1, 2016, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/report-card-stimson-report-card, (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Human Shields, the Dialogue Continues, JUST SECURITY, Dec. 16, 2015, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/28368/human-shields-dialogue-continues/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Military Commissions and Fairness, JUST SECURITY, Dec. 14, 2015, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/28305/military-commissions-fairness/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• A Better Way To Protect Civilians And Combatants Than Weapons Bans: Strict Adherence To The Core Principles Of The Law Of War, INTERCROSS, Dec. 1, 2015, available at http://intercrossblog.icrc.org/blog/guest-post-a-better-way-to-protect-civilians-and-combatants-than-weapons-bans-strict-adherence-to-the-core-principles-of-the-law-of-war#sthash.Rh2cVr0E.dpbs= (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Outsourcing Military Discipline: Bad for Everyone, WAR ON THE ROCKS, Oct. 27, 2015, available at http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/outsourcing-military-discipline-bad-for-everyone/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Honor, Morality, and the DoD Law of War Manual, JUST SECURITY, Oct. 26, 2015, available at https://www.justsecurity.org/27094/honor-morality-dod-law-war-manual/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Drones versus their Critics: A Victory for President Obama’s War Powers Legacy?, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, Oct. 14, 2015, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/drones-versus-their-critics-a-victory-for-president-obama%E2%80%99s-war-powers-legacy (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Civilianizing Military Justice? Sorry, It Can’t — and Shouldn’t — Work, WAR ON THE ROCKS, Oct.8, 2015, available at http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/civilianizing-military-justice-sorry-it-cant-and-shouldnt-work/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Let's get facts on Afghan hospital incident before declaring a war crime. THE HILL, Oct. 5, 2015, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/255927-lets-get-facts-on-afghan-hospital-incident-before-declaring-a-war (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• A Techno-Thriller That's Not Just for the Beach in August: A Review of Peter W. Singer’s and August Cole’s “Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War,” LAWFARE, Aug 18, 2015, available at https://www.lawfareblog.com/techno-thriller-thats-not-just-beach-august (last visited Mar 13, 2016).
• The New York Times, dangerously uninformed, vs. the military, THE HILL, Aug. 13, 2015, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/251007-the-new-york-times-dangerously-uninformed-vs-the-military (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Let’s Balance the Argument About the DOD Law of War Manual and Targeting, JUST SECURITY, July 10, 2015, available a http://justsecurity.org/24542/lets-balance-argument-dod-law-war-manual-targeting/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Is the military option to strike Iran (legally) on the table?, THE HILL, July 6, 2015, available at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/246900-is-the-military-option-to-strike-iran-legally-on-the-table (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• With new ransom policy, Obama is thinking with his heart, not head, THE HILL, June 26, 2015, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/246223-with-new-ransom-policy-obama-is-thinking-with-his-heart-not-head (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Human Shields and the DOD Law of War Manual: Can’t We Improve the Debate? JUST SECURITY, June 25, 2015 available at http://justsecurity.org/24199/human-shields-dod-law-war-manual-cant-improve-debate/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Military Commissions After al-Bahlul, LAWFARE, Jun. 24, 2015, http://www.lawfareblog.com/military-commissions-after-al-bahlul (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Cyber Operations and the New Defense Department Law of War Manual: Initial Impressions, LAWFARE, Jun. 15, 2015, available at http://www.lawfareblog.com/cyber-operations-and-new-defense-department-law-war-manual-initial-impressions (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Casualties and Polls: Some Observations, JUST SECURITY, May 26, 2015, available at http://justsecurity.org/23219/casualties-polls-observations/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Civilian Casualties, Drones, Airstrikes and the Perils of Policy, WAR ON THE ROCKS, May 11, 2015, available at http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/civilian-casualties-drones-airstrikes-and-the-perils-of-policy/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• To Ban New Weapons or Regulate Their Use?, JUST SECURITY, Apr. 3, 2015, available at http://justsecurity.org/21766/guest-post-ban-weapons-regulate-use/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Bringing Bergdahl Home Was the Right Choice—Deserter or Not, TIME, Mar. 26, 2015, available at http://time.com/3759691/bowe-bergdahl-desertion-prisoner-exchange/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Is it Really Better to be Dead Than Blind? JUST SECURITY, Jan. 13, 2015, available at http://justsecurity.org/19078/dead-blind/ (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Airpower’s Remarkable Accomplishment, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY, Aug. 12, 2014, available at http://www.cnas.org/blog/Airpowers-Remarkable-Accomplishment#.VJItedh0w5s (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Has Hamas Overplayed Its Lawfare Strategy, JUST SECURITY, Aug. 5, 2014, available at http://justsecurity.org/13781/charles-dunlap-lawfare-hamas-gaza/.(last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Will 'lawfare' define the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?, AL-MONITOR, July 30, 2014, available at http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/lawfare-palestine-israel-gaza-conflict-dunlap.html (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Leave no soldier behind – no exceptions, REUTERS, Jun. 4, 2014, available at http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/06/04/leave-no-soldier-behind-no-exceptions/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2016)
• Does the Intelligence Community Fear Lawyers…or Legal Scrutiny?, JUST SECURITY, Jul. 2, 2014, available at http://justsecurity.org/12472/guest-post-intelligence-community-fear-lawyersor-legal-scrutiny/.(last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Still Shortchanged: Some Observations About the New Army/Marine Corps COIN Doctrine, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, May 18, 2014, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/still-shortchanged (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Top Ten Reasons Sen. Gillibrand’s Bill is the Wrong Solution to Military Sexual Assault, Social Studies Research Network, Nov. 28, 2013, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2358044 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2358044 (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• No Panacea in President's Counterterrorism Policy, HUFFINGTON POST, May 30, 2013, available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-j-dunlap-jr/no-panacea-in-presidents-_b_3354975.html (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• We Need New Policy, Not Draftees, NEW YORK TIMES, Mar.18, 2012, available at http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/03/20/would-a-draft-reduce-the-number-of-post-traumatic-stress-cases/we-need-new-policy-not-draftees (last visited Mar. 14, 2016)
• How We Lost the High-Tech War of 2020, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, Feb. 19, 2010, at 20, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/journal/iss/v6n2.pdf (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• A Farewell to the Corps, JAG NEWSWIRE, Feb. 17, 2010 [Copy available from the author.]
• Do We Need Airminded Options for Afghanistan?, SITREP, GlobalSecurity.com, Nov. 24, 2009, available at http://sitrep.globalsecurity.org/articles/091124514-do-we-need-airminded-options-f.htm (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Who you calling a REMF?, THE BEST DEFENSE ForeignPolicy.com, Nov. 12, 2009, available at http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/11/12/af_general_to_ricks_who_you_calling_a_remf (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Counterpoint, THE WRIGHT STUFF, Air University, Jul. 23, 2008 [Copy available from the author.]
• The Generals’ Salute, AIRFORCETIMES.COM, Jun. 16, 2008, [Copy available from the author.]
• SWJ Blog: America’s Greatest Weapon, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, May 22, 2008 (with Lt Col John Nagl), available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/americas-greatest-weapon (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Collateral Damage and Counterinsurgency Doctrine, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, Feb. 5, 2008, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/collateral-damage-and-counterinsurgency-doctrine (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• Can Another “Iraq” be Prevented?, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE E-NOTES, Sep. 2007, available at http://www.fpri.org/article/2007/09/can-another-iraq-be-prevented/ (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).
• SWJ Blog: Collateral Damage and Counterinsurgency Doctrine, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, Aug. 13, 2007, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/collateral-damage-and-counterinsurgency-doctrine (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• SWJ Blog: Prepare for Tet, SMALL WARS JOURNAL, Aug. 13, 2007, available at http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/prepare-for-tet (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• With Helmet and Flak Vest: Practicing International Law in War Zones, U.S. AIR FORCE JAG School Foundation, Dec. 2004, available at http://www.jagschoolfoundation.org/stories/WithHelmetAndFlakVest_Dec04_article.pdf (last visited Mar. 13, 2016).
• Law and Military Interventions: Preserving Humanitarian Values in 21st Century Conflicts (Carr Center for Human Rights, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Working Paper, 2001), available at http://people.duke.edu/~pfeaver/dunlap.pdf (last visited Mar. 14, 2016).

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