Armed Conflict and International Law in the Indo-Pacific Region

Armed Conflict and International Law in the Indo-Pacific Region provides a timely and regionally grounded analysis of how international law applies to potential armed conflict in one of the world's most strategically dynamic regions. Adopting a multi-domain approach, the volume explores the legal frameworks governing warfare across land, sea, air, space, cyber, and the information environment, while remaining attuned to the Indo-Pacific's evolving geopolitical landscape. Part I addresses foundational legal questions that may arise during any future conflict in the Indo-Pacific, including civilian protection, the law of neutrality, and the role of international law more broadly. Part II examines the legal rules guiding military operations in key domains of warfare: air, space, cyber, and the information environment. It also considers the maritime domain, highlighting the law applicable to auxiliary vessels and the weaknesses of the legal regime protecting undersea cables. Part III examines the legal implications of deepening regional cooperation, focusing on alliance politics, capability sharing, and legal interoperability, including a detailed analysis of the AUKUS security partnership. Part IV presents a focused case study on the legal issues that would arise in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. Bringing together contributions from military legal advisors, academic experts, and humanitarian practitioners, Armed Conflict and International Law in the Indo-Pacific Region combines analytical depth with practical insight. It fills a critical gap in existing scholarship, offering a comprehensive and forward-looking account of the legal challenges posed by future conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Douglas Guilfoyle is a Professor of International Law and Security at UNSW Canberra and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2022-2025), leading a project on legal statecraft and the law of the sea. His research spans maritime security, the law of the sea, international criminal law, and naval warfare. He is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute and an editor of the OUP series Elements of International Law. His career includes appointments at University College London and Monash University, and fellowships at West Point, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the British Academy. Jennifer Maddocks is a Lecturer in International and Operational Law at the University of Reading School of Law. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law and Philosophy at the United States Military Academy, West Point, a Faculty Fellow with the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare, and Managing Editor for the Lieber Institute's electronic publication Articles of War. Prior to joining West Point, Dr. Maddocks served for more than thirteen years as an officer in the British Army Legal Services, gaining considerable operational experience including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

- Foreword - Rear Admiral Mathew Williams, MNZM - Introduction - Douglas Guilfoyle and Jennifer Maddocks - PART I: Overarching Challenges in Contemporary Conflict - 1. Large Scale Combat Operations in the Indo-Pacific - Practical Implications for International Law - J.J. Merriam - 2. Reducing the Human Cost of Large-Scale Military Operations - Abby Zeith and Lakmini Seneviratne - 3. Applying the Law of Neutrality in an Indo-Pacific Armed Conflict - Raul (Pete) Pedrozo - PART II: Legal Challenges in Multi-Domain Operations - 4. Interpretative Choice and Risk in Indo-Pacific Air Domain Challenges - Angeline Lewis - 5. Key Legal Issues in Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific: The Space Domain - Theodore T. Richard - 6. Key Legal Issues in Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific: The Cyber Domain - Lauren M. Cherry - 7. Calling Up (And Creating) Auxiliaries: The Use of Merchant Ships for Transport and Logistics - Rob McLaughlin - 8. The Protection of Submarine Cables and Pipelines in Armed Conflict in the Indo-Pacific - Atsuko Kanehara - 9. Winning the Information War: The Law of Armed Conflict and Public Opinion in the Indo-Pacific - Aurel Sari - PART III: Alliances, Partnerships, and Capability Development - 10. Mutual Defense Treaties and Defense Groupings in the Indo-Pacific Region: An Introduction - Erika de Wet - 11. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in Context: The Perspective from the Philippines - Jay L. Batongbacal - 12. AUKUS and Nuclear Submarines: Regional and NPT Implications - Monique Cormier - 13. AUKUS Pillar 2: Legal Implications of Sharing Advanced Technology - Natalia Jevglevskaja - PART IV: Case Study: Conflict on Taiwan - 14. The Status of Taiwan and its Right to Collective Self-Defense - Peter A. Dutton - 15. Taiwan's Statehood and the Right of Collective Self-Defense: A Taiwanese Perspective - Anne Hsiu-An Hsiao - 16. Application of the Geneva Conventions and POW Status in a Conflict in Taiwan - Emily Crawford - 17. Weak Legal Guardrails: The United States and the Use of Nuclear Weapons in Great Power Conflict in the Indo-Pacific - Brian Finucane - Index