Volume 12 Issue 2 (2022)

Dear Readers,

 

The National Security Law Brief is proud to publish Issue No. 2 of Volume XII. I remind you that our staff is small, entirely student-run, and all-volunteer, so the incredible amount of effort and dedication that each of these volumes takes cannot be overstated. As was the case during the Fall semester, the Covid-19 pandemic remained ever-present during the Spring, with the Washington College of Law returning to virtual classes for the first month of the semester and mask mandates being reinstated, repealed, and reinstated again throughout the semester. The most senior members of our staff have had to navigate all of this while finishing law school, preparing Bar applications, and applying and interviewing for the jobs that will take us into the next phase of our careers. The junior members have had to learn how to spade and edit articles while also learning (or re-learning) how to be law students in an on-campus environment. While all of us have had to navigate a semester that featured a backdrop of impending global war, many of our staff have had to do so within the context of their commitments to the United States Armed Forces and all of the attendant anxieties. 

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This issue aims to focus more closely on concerns that accompany the shift to a modern Great Power Competition, particularly with China. As a continuation of the NSLB’s commitment to the inclusion of authors with a diverse set of backgrounds, we selected an article each from a distinguished Professor, a current practitioner in the National Security space, and a Student author. Our first article, by Professor Paul Rose, examines recent changes in global investment laws as a response to Chinese consolidation and expansion of power. Our second, by Lieutenant Colonel Susan E. Upward (USMC), asks questions about the adequacy of our legal protections against commercial technologies being conscripted for espionage by the Chinese government. Our third article reminds us that the threat of nuclear action does not just come from external sources, as John Chappell discusses legislative options for preventing an overzealous president from unnecessary usage of nuclear force.

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This year has been exceptionally challenging, and as the Volume XII Board signs off, we hope to leave you with a final product that is both stimulating and challenging. I could not be more proud of the work our staff has put in over the past year to bring you both issues of Volume XII, and I am honored to present to you the fruits of their labor. Stay safe in these uncertain times, and please enjoy Issue 2, Volume XII of our humble but mighty Brief.

 

Respectfully,

Ryan Nelson

Editor-in-Chief