This course will examine in depth the U.S. Government's development and prosecution of the "war on terror" with a particular emphasis on the implications of new U.S. policies for global adherence to international humanitarian and human rights norms. It begins with an examination of the genesis and structure of international humanitarian law, the principles and rules regulating the conduct of international and other armed conflicts, the protections afforded to combatants and noncombatants by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the 1977 Protocols, the intersection of humanitarian law and human rights law, and the question of whether "war on terror" mandates the development of a new paradigm. It next examines key facets of the "war on terror" program implemented by the Government, including the new military commission system at Guantánamo, the creation of the new status of "enemy combatant," the indefinite detention of "war on terror" detainees without charge or trial, the CIA's Extraordinary Rendition program, and the transfer of detainees to indefinite detention in other countries. Finally, it looks at the judicial responses to the legal challenges attacking all of these programs and the implications of these responses for the continued viability of foundational democratic principles including the separation of powers doctrine and the writ of habeas corpus. Throughout, the course also looks at the actions of key individual actors in all branches of government with regard to their professional and ethical responsibilities, and assesses whether it is possible to compel adherence to the values embedded in our democratic framework.