James Kraska, LL.M, S.J.D
Chair Stockton Center for International Law
Biography
James Kraska is chair and Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Maritime Law in the Stockton Center for International Law at the Naval War College, the first-established chair at the institution and visiting professor of law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization at Harvard Law School. He has served as visiting professor of law at the College of Law, University of the Philippines, visiting professor of law at Gujarat National Law University, Mary Derrickson McCurdy Visiting Scholar at Duke University Marine Laboratory and fellow-in-residence at the Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Contact Information
Areas of Expertise
- International Law
Professional Highlights
Publication of “Cultural Influences on the Law of the Sea” (ed. with Hayoun Ryou Ellison, Oxford University Press)
Publication of “Peaceful Maritime Engagement in East Asia and the Pacific Region” (ed. with Ronán Long & Myron H. Nordquist, Brill | Nijhoff)
Publication of “Disruptive Technology and the Law of Naval Warfare” (with Raul Pedrozo, Oxford University Press)
Publication of “Emerging Technology and the Law of the Sea” (ed. with Young Kil Park, Cambridge University Press)
Editor-in-Chief, Benedict on Admiralty: International Maritime Law
Visiting Professor of Law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization, Harvard Law School
Visiting Professor of Public International Law, Gujarat National Law University, Ahmedabad, India
Publication of "The Free Sea: The American Fight for Freedom of Navigation" (US Naval Institute Press)
Visiting Professor of Law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization, Harvard Law School
Inaugural Global Engagement Fellow, Mississippi State University
Education
S.J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
LL.M, University of Virginia School of Law
J.D., Indiana University Maurer School of Law
M.A.I.S., School of Politics and Economics, Claremont Graduate School
Related Credentials
Previously, Professor Kraska was Mary Derrickson McCurdy Visiting Scholar, an endowed chair in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and an Office of the Chief of Naval Research Fellow in the Marine Policy Center at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he conducted a study on legal aspects of autonomous and expendable marine instruments.
Research Contributions and Publications
"Distinction, Proportionality, and Precautions in Attacks at Sea in the New Era of the Law of Naval Warfare”
Chicago Journal of International Law, 2025
Other Honors
Law of the Sea Institute, University of California Berkeley School of Law
Distinguished Fellow, 2014-present
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Senior Fellow, 2010-present
Center for National Security Law, University of Virginia Law School
Senior Fellow, 2013-2020
Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia Law School
Senior Fellow, 2012-2020
External Memberships and Associations
Council on Foreign Relations
Permanent Member
The Alexander Hamilton Society
National Board of Advisers
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