Armed Conflict

Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis on the legal, policy, and strategic dimensions of armed conflict, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war, counterterrorism operations, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, and other armed conflicts across the globe, with a focus on international humanitarian law, war crimes and accountability, mitigating and remedying civilian harm, and the humanitarian impacts of warfare.

Highlights:

IMAGES (left to right): People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images); A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza City on October 9, 2023 (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images); The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN, holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court (Photo by the International Court of Justice).

Just Security’s Israel-Hamas War Archive

Just Security's collection of more than 110 articles covering the Israel-Hamas War and its diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian consequences.
A collage of images featuring scenes from the Russia - Ukraine War.

Just Security’s Russia–Ukraine War Archive

A catalog of over 100 articles (many with Ukrainian translations) on the Russia Ukraine War -- law, diplomacy, policy options, and more.
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L)

Roosevelt’s Weak Hand and Trump’s Strong One in Eastern and Central Europe: Will Trump Play His Good Cards?

While President Trump hasn't fully sided with Putin, he hasn't used his favorable strategic position as history shows he could to end Russia's war on Ukraine.
A US Marines' Lockheed Martin F35-B jet prepares to land at José Aponte de la Torre Airport, formerly Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, on September 13, 2025, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. President Donald Trump is sending ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on September 5, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean. The planes will join US warships already deployed to the southern Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States accuses of leading a drug cartel. The Trump administration recently carried out a drone strike in the southern Caribbean against a boat that had left Venezuela and was suspected of transporting drugs. Eleven people died in the attack. The president claimed that the vessel was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Attacking Drug Cartels in the Territory of Another State

The U.S. operations conducted to date against suspected members of drug cartels stretch the applicable international law rules and their interpretation beyond recognition.
Crew members of the US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) are pictured at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Caribbean Strikes and the Collapse of Legal Oversight in U.S. Military Operations

Congress and the public must do more to address the dangerous pressures imposed on servicemembers and defend the guardrails that protect both U.S. forces and democracy.
The Just Security Podcast Cover Image

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part III

Tess Bridgeman is joined by Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane to assess the latest strikes, the brief detention of two survivors, where the campaign may be headed, and what…
× Clear Filters
3,295 Articles
A crowd swirls around a blaze set in front of a blue-green solid metal gate inscribed with the name of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO. A few palm fronds are seen in the foreground, and stone walls flank the gate in the background.

The United Nations and a World in Pain

The U.N.’s survival depends on how it positions itself between the elephant and the mouse, in South America and the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and beyond.

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s Obligations Towards UNRWA and Other International Organizations in the Occupied Territories: Key Issues

Unpacking the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Israel's obligations towards the UN and others to provide humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza.
A woman cleans the memorial of a victim at the site of the Nova Festival to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks on October 07, 2025 in Re'im, Israel. Various commemorations are taking place around Israel to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks in Israel and the Gaza border area on October 7, 2023. During the attacks, 251 hostages were taken and around 1,200 people were killed, making it the deadliest attack in Israel's history. In response to the attacks, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 67,000 people and displaced around 90% of the enclave's population of 2.1 million. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

When Sexism Endangers Lives: In Israel, Sidelining Women Comes at the Cost of Security

The October 7th massacre and unprecedented war in Gaza compel Israel to rethink its conception of security. It must include a gender-based analysis.
A man stands in front of military vehicles

As Europe Rearms, Learn from the Pentagon’s Efforts to Modernize Civilian Protection

European militaries can adapt and operationalize civilian protection as they increase defense spending to protect themselves against Russia.
People react as they gather close to a mass grave in the town of Bucha, just northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on April 3, 2022.

Russia’s Eliminationist Rhetoric Against Ukraine: A Collection

Updated with new analysis of how key words, phrases, and themes appear to express intent to eliminate Ukraine or Ukrainians as a nation-state, people, or culture.
Palestinians rally around aid trucks which entered from the Karem Abu Salem crossing, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 12, 2025, as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions holds in the besieged territory. A Gaza ceasefire was holding for a third day on October 12, ahead of a US-proposed hostage-prisoner exchange and a summit aimed at charting a path to peace after two years of war. (Photo by OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Implementing the Gaza Ceasefire

The ceasefire in Gaza faces many challenges and is currently threatened by serious violations. What can we learn from the experience of ceasefires elsewhere?
Collage of images pertaining to artificial intelligence

Just Security’s Artificial Intelligence Archive

Just Security's collection of articles analyzing the implications of AI for society, democracy, human rights, and warfare.
A person touches a digital screen

Embedded Human Judgment in the Age of Autonomous Weapons

A new framework for autonomous weapons shows that real control depends on embedded human judgment across design, command, and operation.
A mother walks with her daughters outside a building

Global Fragility Act 2.0? Amid a Possible Bipartisan Revival, a Chance to Make U.S. Peace Efforts More Effective

If the administration seizes this moment, GFA 2.0 could help the U.S. prevent costly wars and compete effectively with rivals abroad.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s War with the Rules of Engagement

Hegseth’s attack on the ROE demonstrates a dangerously limited – and legally incorrect – view about these rules and what they are for.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) joins hands with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) during a signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House on August 8, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump brought the two leaders together in an initial attempt to end the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that has lasted for decades. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A Closer Look at Trump’s Peace Deals: From “Death and Hatred” to “Love and Success”?

Under Trump, peace deals have been treated as an opportunity to secure resources and real estate. Recent agreements illustrate this “resources-for-peace” approach.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) sits across from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R)

Some Questions About Trump’s Order Pledging to Defend Qatar’s Security

Trump's Executive Order on Qatar raises a number of important legal and policy questions that merit careful consideration by Congress and the public.
1-12 of 3,295 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: