VU students study war through humanitarian lens

Sam Miller and Jeremy Drudge were both dead, at least by the rules of war.

They were participating in a simulation Dec. 5 at Valparaiso University put on by the American Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Youth Action Campaign.

The sophomores came to their fates in different ways. Miller, 20, of Plymouth, Wis., was able to get a passport marking him as a civilian, but he stumbled on a trek through the jungle, represented by tennis balls on the floor, when he incorrectly said he would pick a 16-year-old boy to fight beside him instead of a woman, 65.

“I lost because that’s a war crime, so I died right away,” said Miller, a political science major.

Drudge, 19, of Plymouth, Ind., was deemed a hostile force.

“My brothers wouldn’t be too surprised,” said the business marketing major who went through the mountains, represented by red “danger” tape tied to chairs as an obstacle course, seeking safety. The tape was meant to represent lasers.

“I died because I didn’t hit the course cleanly,” he said.

Despite their untimely deaths, the students in an international relations class taught by Amy Atchison, an associate professor of political science and international relations, said the exercise was valuable.

“It was fun and informative and a good way to teach people about war crimes,” Miller said.

The project, Atchison said, is part of a nationwide campaign on the legal implications of using artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons, which are used without human interaction. Semi-autonomous weapons are remotely controlled by humans and include drones.

“They’re really different in the context of international humanitarian law,” including who’s responsible if a mistake kills civilians, she said. “Is it the programmer? Is it the commander who decided to use the weapon? It’s a really big challenge because the [autonomous] weapons can be used on their own.”

Humans, she added, can make the determination of whether someone has hostile intent.

Like Miller, Amanda Brobst-Renaud, an assistant professor of theology, was doomed to death when she selected a child soldier. Noting that she’s a pacifist who “wouldn’t give anyone a gun,” she said the exercise provided insight into both international war crimes and the unpredictability of war.

“It’s interesting to think what a person’s natural inclination would be in a time of war,” she said. “I realize there’s no primer. If I’d had a minute to think, I wouldn’t have done it, but I didn’t have a minute to think.”

The goal of the exercise, said Abbey Zombik, 22, a Valparaiso senior majoring in international relations and lead advocate for the Youth Action Campaign, is to teach the community about what students learned about international humanitarian law. A decision to put together the exercise was made halfway through the semester.

Dan Pelzel of Merrillville, who graduates this month with a master’s degree in international communications and policy, had a role as a military intelligence analyst. A teacher’s assistant in Atchison’s class, Pelzel is a 2007 graduate of Merrillville High School and served seven years in the U.S. Army.

His part was to study enemy activity and inform his company. He liked the real world application of the simulation.

“Unfortunately, America has committed war crimes, but we do a really good job of policing them as well,” he said.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.