Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

Occupation has been defined as ?effective control of a power (be it one or more states or an international organization, such as the United Nations) over a territory to which that power has no sovereign title, without the violation of the sovereign territory.? This course will explore the legal, political and moral underpinnings and consequences of occupation. We have witnessed a marked increase in military and other occupation: Iraq and Afghanistan by the U.S., and the West Bank and Gaza by Israel, for instance. The course will examine how international law defines and regulates occupation. What is occupation? On what grounds does modern jurisprudence authorize and constrain occupation? What is the difference between a legal occupation and an illegal occupation? How does occupation, regulated by and through law, differ from colonialism? Readings will focus on several case studies to explore the legal, political and moral implications of occupation, including Puerto Rico, South Africa, Palestine, and Iraq.

For more information, go to:http://www2.law.columbia.edu/faculty_franke/Occupation2013/index.html