Event: Civilian Casualties Roundtable – Sep. 13

Amends Policies related to Military Operations, Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the American Society of International Law, 2223 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington DC.  Sponsored by the ASIL's Lieber Society and CIVIC

In Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the United States military committed to minimize civilian casualties. But war is an inherently dangerous enterprise, often leading to tragic consequences for civilians caught in the battle space. ASIL, the Lieber Society and CIVIC will host an expert roundtable on the history and status of U.S. practice and policy toward civilians harmed by its combat operations, including various compensation schemes to date. Using Afghanistan as the main case study, we will take stock of US lessons learned in making amends for civilian losses, discuss current practice including the patchwork of ad hoc solutions at work in theater, and identify together solutions to fill gaps in US policy.

There will be three presentations. Jon Tracy (former JA, researcher at Harvard on this issue) will give an uber brief history of US compensation policies from Vietnam onward, COL Rich Gross (CENTCOM LEGAD) will give an on-the-ground legal view of compensation in Afghanistan, and Dr. Larry Lewis (CNA representative to JS J7) will give an overview of the issue of CIVCAS with attention to progress and challenges regarding compensation.