Kittrie chairs roundtable on Chinese lawfare

Professor Orde Kittrie of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law co-organized, co-chaired, and was a speaker at a roundtable titled “Chinese Lawfare in the Cyberspace, Nonproliferation, Space, and Maritime Arenas,” at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. It was co-sponsored by the Washington Program on Nonproliferation Policy and Law, Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science and Global Security, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. 

“The Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and the Chinese Central Military Commission have explicitly adopted lawfare (the use of law as a substitute for traditional military means to achieve operational objectives) as a major component of China’s strategic doctrine,” Kittrie said. “China is currently reportedly engaging in lawfare in the cyber, nonproliferation, space and maritime arenas.” 

The conference brought together leading experts on China, nonproliferation, cybersecurity, space and maritime issues to compare notes and share lessons about China’s lawfare strategy, consider its application in the four specified arenas, and develop options for how U.S. policy-makers can more effectively address this phenomenon.

Other speakers were Michele Markoff, Senior Policy Adviser for Cyber Issues at the U.S. Department of State, Capt. Paul Stempel of the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, Cmdr. Jonathan Odom of the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, Dean Cheng, Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and Catherine Lotrionte, Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science and Global Security.

Kittrie’s teaching and research focus on international law (especially nonproliferation and sanctions) and criminal law. He also is affiliated with ASU’s McCain Institute for International Leadership.