Pat Paterson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Pat Paterson

Social Science Research Network, 2017

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), together with its companion body, the Inte... more The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), together with its companion body, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), are autonomous organs of the Organization of American States (OAS). The IACHR promotes and protects human rights in the Western Hemisphere. Created by the OAS in 1959, the Commission has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Together with the Court, established in 1979 in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Commission has emerged as a model of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as of individual rights.Since its inception, the Commission has made extraordinary progress. Through its 55-year history, it has processed over 12,000 cases. The Commission has held almost 140 sessions, some of them at its headquarters, others in different countries of the Americas. For a special report on the Commission, the Perry Center Publications Editor-in-Chief Pat Paterson met with Professor Richard Wilson, Director of the International Human Rights Law ...

The back-and-forth election oscillations in the United States leave a lot of observers bewildered... more The back-and-forth election oscillations in the United States leave a lot of observers bewildered about U.S. foreign policy. U.S. citizens and foreigners alike struggle to understand U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military policies. Recent foreign policy announcements from the Trump Administration, drastic shifts on international priorities from previous presidencies, has generated additional scrutiny on the topic. It has also raised foreign policy questions about federalism, U.S. unilateralism, foreign aid, and the separation of powers system enshrined in the Constitution. This article provides a broad summary of U.S. foreign policy by examining its historical philosophical beginnings and how those have evolved over the 241 years of the nation’s history. It examines the Founders’ intentions and concerns for their new system of government. Included in that is the important sense of “exceptionalism” that guides national strategy and “manifest destiny” that justified U.S. continental ...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

This monograph is a serious and well-researched investigation into crucial factors of contemporar... more This monograph is a serious and well-researched investigation into crucial factors of contemporary warfare. Readers will learn lessons on the distinctions between the Law of Armed Conflict and criminal law, particularly on important issues like lethal force, escalation of force tactics, and security detention. Professor Paterson makes a strong argument that the stated policy of respect and promotion of human rights (HR)-that has long been a guiding principle of the U.S. military-does not translate into specific and mandatory directives at the tactical and operational levels. Indeed, he asserts that at those levels there is no formal attention to HR, only ad hoc efforts by operational units that don't receive guiding policy. This monograph will be essential reading for policymakers and those whose task is the development of granular precepts to guide implementation and execution of policy on the ground.

Journal of Military Ethics, 2019

The U.S. spends billions of dollars in its security cooperation program to develop "professional,... more The U.S. spends billions of dollars in its security cooperation program to develop "professional, accountable, and capable security forces" in other nations, part of a grand strategy to improve global stability and counter violent extremism. Despite its great investment in professionalizing foreign militaries, however, the U.S. has no functional definition of military professionalisma term that until now has been considered too vague and multifaceted to operationalize. In this article, the author seeks to remedy this oversight, drawing from twenty years of security cooperation fieldwork in Latin America and Africa, as well as a vigorous literature review, to define four important components of military professionalism: (1) formal military education and vocational training, (2) military subordination to elected civilian officials, (3) knowledge and practice of the law of armed conflict and human rights law, and (4) a clearly established program of professional military ethics. This article provides guidelines for U.S. and European officials who work with partner nations to develop more professional military forces and, in particular, for officials managing security assistance programs with developing countries.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

Global warming presents one of the most serious threats to South American nations. These countrie... more Global warming presents one of the most serious threats to South American nations. These countries are at risk of a variety of climate change related problems: rising sea levels, diminishing potable water supplies, forest fires, intense storms and flooding, heat waves, and the spread of diseases. These disasters are occurring more frequently in the region and will likely increase in intensity also. The armed forces in the region, the only government departments with both the capacity and the manpower to respond to these massive catastrophes, has to assist civil authorities with these kinds of natural disasters. This type of support to civilian authorities will occur more frequently and under more severe conditions as climate change conditions worsen.

Social Science Research Network, 2017

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), together with its companion body, the Inte... more The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), together with its companion body, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), are autonomous organs of the Organization of American States (OAS). The IACHR promotes and protects human rights in the Western Hemisphere. Created by the OAS in 1959, the Commission has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Together with the Court, established in 1979 in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Commission has emerged as a model of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as of individual rights.Since its inception, the Commission has made extraordinary progress. Through its 55-year history, it has processed over 12,000 cases. The Commission has held almost 140 sessions, some of them at its headquarters, others in different countries of the Americas. For a special report on the Commission, the Perry Center Publications Editor-in-Chief Pat Paterson met with Professor Richard Wilson, Director of the International Human Rights Law ...

The back-and-forth election oscillations in the United States leave a lot of observers bewildered... more The back-and-forth election oscillations in the United States leave a lot of observers bewildered about U.S. foreign policy. U.S. citizens and foreigners alike struggle to understand U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military policies. Recent foreign policy announcements from the Trump Administration, drastic shifts on international priorities from previous presidencies, has generated additional scrutiny on the topic. It has also raised foreign policy questions about federalism, U.S. unilateralism, foreign aid, and the separation of powers system enshrined in the Constitution. This article provides a broad summary of U.S. foreign policy by examining its historical philosophical beginnings and how those have evolved over the 241 years of the nation’s history. It examines the Founders’ intentions and concerns for their new system of government. Included in that is the important sense of “exceptionalism” that guides national strategy and “manifest destiny” that justified U.S. continental ...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

This monograph is a serious and well-researched investigation into crucial factors of contemporar... more This monograph is a serious and well-researched investigation into crucial factors of contemporary warfare. Readers will learn lessons on the distinctions between the Law of Armed Conflict and criminal law, particularly on important issues like lethal force, escalation of force tactics, and security detention. Professor Paterson makes a strong argument that the stated policy of respect and promotion of human rights (HR)-that has long been a guiding principle of the U.S. military-does not translate into specific and mandatory directives at the tactical and operational levels. Indeed, he asserts that at those levels there is no formal attention to HR, only ad hoc efforts by operational units that don't receive guiding policy. This monograph will be essential reading for policymakers and those whose task is the development of granular precepts to guide implementation and execution of policy on the ground.

Journal of Military Ethics, 2019

The U.S. spends billions of dollars in its security cooperation program to develop "professional,... more The U.S. spends billions of dollars in its security cooperation program to develop "professional, accountable, and capable security forces" in other nations, part of a grand strategy to improve global stability and counter violent extremism. Despite its great investment in professionalizing foreign militaries, however, the U.S. has no functional definition of military professionalisma term that until now has been considered too vague and multifaceted to operationalize. In this article, the author seeks to remedy this oversight, drawing from twenty years of security cooperation fieldwork in Latin America and Africa, as well as a vigorous literature review, to define four important components of military professionalism: (1) formal military education and vocational training, (2) military subordination to elected civilian officials, (3) knowledge and practice of the law of armed conflict and human rights law, and (4) a clearly established program of professional military ethics. This article provides guidelines for U.S. and European officials who work with partner nations to develop more professional military forces and, in particular, for officials managing security assistance programs with developing countries.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

Global warming presents one of the most serious threats to South American nations. These countrie... more Global warming presents one of the most serious threats to South American nations. These countries are at risk of a variety of climate change related problems: rising sea levels, diminishing potable water supplies, forest fires, intense storms and flooding, heat waves, and the spread of diseases. These disasters are occurring more frequently in the region and will likely increase in intensity also. The armed forces in the region, the only government departments with both the capacity and the manpower to respond to these massive catastrophes, has to assist civil authorities with these kinds of natural disasters. This type of support to civilian authorities will occur more frequently and under more severe conditions as climate change conditions worsen.