R.j. (rogier) Bartels

Biography

Rogier obtained his law degree from the University of Utrecht (2003) and a specialised LL.M. from the University of Nottingham (2004). He is a Legal Officer in the Trial Division of the International Criminal Court and a research-fellow at the Military Law Section of the Netherlands Defence Academy. Prior to his present positions, he worked, inter alia, as a researcher at the Netherlands Defence Academy, for the International Crimes Section of the Dutch National Prosecutor’s Office, as an Associate Legal Officer in Chambers at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and as a legal adviser at the IHL Division of the Netherlands Red Cross. He has given (guest) lectures at a number of universities and military academies, in the Netherlands and abroad. From 2009-2014, he taught a course on international humanitarian law (IHL) as adjunct-lecturer at the Hague University of Applied Sciences, and in 2014-2015, he taught the master course on International Criminal Law at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Rogier is a member of the research programme on “Law of Armed Conflict and Peace Operations” of the Amsterdam Center for International Law (of the University of Amsterdam), and participates in the Leiden University’s Kalshoven/Gieskes Forum on IHL. At the former university, he is writing a PhD thesis (working title: “'The Legal Regime of ‘Transnational Armed Conflicts’ under IHL”) on the legal challenges arising from cross-border armed conflict involving non-State actors. His publications deal with IHL, international criminal law, and the interplay between these two branches of international law. Rogier frequently speaks at conferences, and gives lectures as part of (summer) courses and trainings, such as those provided by Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection. He is the co-editor of the Armed Groups and International Law blog and regularly contributes to other international law blogs.

Research Interest

Mr Bartels's research interests concern international humanitarian law and the related fields international law, such as international criminal law , international human rights law, and the law on the use of force. His doctoral research focusses on the classification of contemporary armed conflict under IHL and specifically analyses so-called 'transnational armed conflicts' (i.e., conflicts between states and non-state actors, or non-state actors amongst themselves, that are not confined to the territory of a single state). These situations do not fit neatly in either of the two recognised legal categories of armed conflict. Recently, such situations have been referred to in literature as an 'extra-territorial' or 'transnational armed conflict'. His research aims to explore the scope of application of IHL to and the (international) legal problems arising from such transnational conflict situations. He is supervised by Prof. Terry Gill (UvA/ Netherlands Defence Academy ) and Prof. Jann Kleffner (Swedish National Defence College).