Dothan: The Way to Hell: When International Law Violations Spiral Out of Control

Shai Dothan (Univ. of Copenhagen - Law) has posted The Way to Hell: When International Law Violations Spiral Out of Control (Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Severe violations of international law tend to spread from one country to another. No country would like to be left behind while its enemies or neighbors gain an advantage through violating international law. This paper investigates three case studies of extreme cascades into blatant international law violations: the growing practice of bombing cities during the Second World War, the spreading of the practice of torture after the terrorist attack on 9/11, and the expansion of the practice of targeted killings in recent years. The goal of these case studies is to illustrate the mechanisms that make a cascade towards increasing violations of international law likely to happen. By understanding these mechanisms, it is possible to think about how such harmful cascades can be slowed down, stopped, or even reversed.