History Ph.D. Dissertations
Lawfare: Use of the Definition of Aggressive War by the Soviet and Russian Governments
Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
History
First Advisor
Don Rowney
Second Advisor
Gi Woong Yun (Committee Member)
Third Advisor
Gary Hess (Committee Member)
Fourth Advisor
John Quigley (Committee Member)
Fifth Advisor
Marina Sorokina (Committee Member)
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to contribute to the understanding of the definition of the terms aggression and aggressive war by tracing the political, legal and military use of the terms by the Soviet Union from that posed at the 1933 Convention for the Definition of Aggression to the definition posed by the Russian Federation to the International Criminal Court in 1999. One might ask why the Soviet Union so adamantly promoted a definition of aggression and aggressive war while, as many have noted, conducting military actions that appeared to violate the very definition they espoused in international treaties and conventions. This dissertation demonstrates that through the use of treaties the Soviet Union and Russian Federation practiced a program of lawfare long before the term became known. Lawfare, as used by the Soviet Union and Russian Federation, is the manipulation or exploitation of the international legal system to supplement military and political objectives. The Soviet Union and Russian Federation used these legal restrictions to supplement military strategy in an attempt, not to limit themselves, but to control other states legally, politically, and equally as important, publicly, through the use of propaganda.
Recommended Citation
Bartman, Christi, "Lawfare: Use of the Definition of Aggressive War by the Soviet and Russian Governments" (2009). History Ph.D. Dissertations. 12.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/hist_diss/12