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37 Wis. Int'l L.J. 569 (2019-2020)
Russian Mercenaries, State Responsibility, and Conflict in Syria: Examining the Wagner Group under International Law

handle is hein.journals/wisint37 and id is 587 raw text is: RUSSIAN MERCENARIES, STATE RESPONSIBILITY, AND CONFLICT IN SYRIA: EXAMINING THE WAGNER GROUP UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW MICHAEL A. RIZZOTTI* Introduction ...........................................................................................570 I. The Syrian Conflict and the Wagner Group......................................572 A. Civil War in Syria .................................................................572 B. The Wagner Group................................................................575 II. IHL & Classifying the Syrian Conflict............................................. 580 A. International & Non-International Armed Conflicts.............581 B. Classification of the Syrian Armed Conflict .........................584 III. Wagner Group Mercenaries in Syria .............................................. 587 IV. State Responsibility & the Wagner Group in Syria........................594 A. The Law of State Responsibility ...........................................595 B. Syrian Attribution for the Wagner Group's Breaches of IH L ......................................................................................5 9 7 1. Attribution Under Article 4............................................. 597 2. Attribution Under Article 5............................................. 599 a. Exercising Elements of Syrian Governmental Authority ................................................................600 b. Empowered by Syrian Law.......................................601 c. Commission of a Wrongful Act in the Exercise of Governmental Authority.........................................604 3. Attribution Under Article 8.............................................604 a. Instructions................................................................605 b. Direction and/or Control...........................................606 C. Russian Attribution for the Wagner Group's Breaches of IH L ......................................................................................6 0 8 1. Organs of the Russian State ............................................609 2. Empowered by Russian Law to Exercise Elements of Government Authority ..................................................610 Lieutenant Colonel, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army; Military Professor and Associate Director for the Law of Land Warfare, Stockton Center for International Law, U.S. Naval War College. The views expressed here are personal views and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government, U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Naval War College. The analysis presented stems from academic research of publicly available resources.

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