The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, together with Perry World House and Georgetown’s Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession, convened a conference in November 2025 focused on precision lethality and advanced strategies to mitigate civilian harm in armed conflict, with a focus on large-scale combat operations and the civilian environment in urban warfare. A new Lawfare series features a podcast and articles developed from the workshop-style sessions and keynote panel.
Conference Website ↗
Lawfare Series ↗
PODCAST
LESSONS FOR CIVILIAN HARM MITIGATION IN URBAN WARFARE, FROM GAZA AND BEYOND
Hosted by Scott R. Anderson | The Lawfare Podcast | Feb. 13, 2026
This episode features audio from the keynote panel of the November conference with CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Christopher Maier, Dr. Larry Lewis of the Center for Naval Analyses, and Professor Geoffrey Corn of Texas Tech University School of Law in conversation with Lawfare’s Scott Anderson. The panelists discuss the challenges of mitigating civilian harm in dense urban environments and the lessons drawn from conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere.
ARTICLE
THE VISUAL PERFORMANCE OF PRECISION LETHALITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
By Christopher Fuller | Lawfare | Feb. 13, 2026
Dr. Christopher Fuller, associate professor in Modern U.S. History at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and participant of the conference, examines the concept of and communication around precision warfare across several U.S. administrations. He argues that precision can support civilian harm mitigation efforts only when it functions as a legal and operational constraint rather than as a performative tool concealing acts of brutality.
More articles and content in the series will be published in the coming weeks here.