A current Doctoral Candidate Lecturer and former Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, Professor Cox’s ongoing dissertation project explores the relationship between human rights law and the law of armed conflict in both theory and practice. Formerly a visiting scholar at Queen’s Law, he is also currently completing a project that conducts a critical assessment of the U.S. military investigation following the attack in 2015 on the Médecins Sans Frontières trauma center in Kunduz, Afghanistan. In addition to these projects, Professor Cox’s research interests include topics such as the payment of compensation for incidental damage caused in armed conflict, the prosecution of military members suspected of committing serious violations of the law of armed conflict, the challenges to achieving consensus regarding limitations on emerging technology in warfare, and comparative approaches to implementing military culture reform, among other subjects.
Professor Cox served for 22 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in 2018. He served as an airborne infantry soldier, combat camera operator, airborne infantry officer, and for seven years as a military legal advisor. His combat deployments include Iraq from 2003-04 as a combat camera operator and Afghanistan from 2013-14 as an operational law attorney and then the chief of international and operational law for Regional Command-East. He has also served as a military prosecutor, federal prosecutor, brigade judge advocate (general counsel), and military magistrate while he was a military legal advisor. His military awards, decorations, and qualifications include the Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Basic and Advanced Collateral Damage Estimation Certification, Weapons Law and the Legal Review of Weapons Certification, Joint Intermediate Target Development Certification, Joint Firepower Certification, and Special Victim Unit Investigator Certification.
Professor Cox holds an LL.M. from Queen’s Law and a B.A. (International Relations) and J.D. from the University of North Carolina.
Recent papers by Professor Cox are available via Google Scholar or SSRN.
Professor Cox can be reached at bcox@uottawa.ca or blc226@cornell.edu.