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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.

Civilian HarmIsrael-Hamas WarLaw of Armed Conflict/IHLRussia-UkraineSudanUse of Force

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.
Sep. 26, 2025 and
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.
Oct. 20, 2025 and
Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara (R) and Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani (L) bid farewell to participants at the Syrian National Dialogue Conference on February 25, 2025 in Damascus, Syria. A national dialogue conference intended to help chart Syria's political future after the fall of former President Bashar Assad began at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Monday. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Sectarian Violence and the Price of Ignoring Transitional Justice in Syria

Sharaa must pursue accountability for both perpetrators of violence against Syrian minorities since Assad's fall, and against former Assad officials complicit in war crimes.
Nov. 7, 2025
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks 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)

Timeline of Vessel Strikes and Related Actions

A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Nov. 6, 2025 and
The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" at UN headquarters in New York on September 23, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Draft Security Council Resolution on Gaza: Initial Concerns

The draft resolution has fundamental legal problems and ambiguities that, if not resolved, will harm both peace in Gaza and prospects of a more sustainable future.
Nov. 5, 2025
The USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departs the Port of Port of Spain on October 30, 2025. The US warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on October 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Saber Rattling and Venezuela: Lawful Show of Force or Unlawful Threat of Force?

Clearly, U.S. actions are threatening to Venezuela. But do they amount to an unlawful threat under international law, or are they merely a lawful show of force?
Nov. 4, 2025
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3,310 Articles
Palestinians watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes upon arrival on a coastal path

International Lawyers Unite in Joint Statement on Gaza

An eight-point statement signed by 270 international law scholars demonstrates a convergence of views on Gaza and international law.
Nov. 7, 2025 and

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers

Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues.
Nov. 6, 2025
The Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2795 (2025) on the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR ALTHEA).

U.N. Extension of EU Troops in Bosnia Obscures Fissures Reflected in Debate

The EU should firm up its policy to help Bosnia advance toward EU membership with democratic governance. Only in this way can long-term stability be assured.
Nov. 5, 2025
An infantry recruit of the 28th Seperate Mechanized Brigade runs from a simulated drone attack during a basic training course at an undislosed location in eastern Ukraine on October 11, 2025. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

Drones are Changing How Wars Harm Civilians

Drones are rapidly changing war. Without urgent, collective action, their use will lead to greater civilian harm in conflicts.
Nov. 4, 2025
US Marines' Lockheed Martin F35-B jets approach in formation

Dissecting the Trump Administration’s Effort to Circumvent the War Powers Resolution for Boat Strikes

The administration's legal argument is both "incorrect and dangerous," writes Finucane.
Nov. 3, 2025
US Capitol building at sunset with moon

Expert Backgrounder on War Powers Resolution 60-Day Clock for Boat Strikes Expiring Monday

Expert backgrounder on how War Powers Resolution works in application to U.S. military operations against suspected drug cartels.
Oct. 31, 2025 and
(L-R) Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) seated next to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) address National Security Agency Director General Timothy Haugh, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffrey Kruse as they appear during a Senate Committee on Intelligence Hearing on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Will the Intelligence Committees Meet the Challenge of CIA Covert Action in Venezuela?

U.S. law provides the congressional Intelligence Committees with tools to evaluate covert action programs and spur potential legislative action.
Oct. 31, 2025
The band members march toward the left of the photo, wearing red jackets and black pants with red stripes and playing instruments including a tuba, as a red, yellow and green Ethiopian flag flies in the background in front of the dam, with water flowing down its slope.

The Brewing Egypt-Ethiopia Nile River Conflict is Ripe for “Solving”

An agreement to resolve the dam conflict has long been drafted. Trump could be the "closer" engaging Presidents Abiy and el-Sisi for a deal.
Oct. 31, 2025 and
Dodik, at right, shakes hands with Putin to the left, with another figure in the back left of the frame, in an ornately decorated room.

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Putin-Backed Bosnian Serb Separatist Leader

The Trump administration's sanctions removal for Bosnian Serb separatist Milorad Dodik precedes a Russia-Led U.N. Security Council meeting.
Oct. 30, 2025
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (C) speaks with Murad Ebrahim (3rd R), then-chief minister of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as Nur Misuari (3rd L), leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), looks on during the ceremonial opening of the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) in Cotabato City, in the southern Philippines on September 15, 2022. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Post-Conflict Election in the Southern Philippines Postponed for Third Time: Is Peace Unraveling?

A third postponement of elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao endangers a peace accord that ended a brutal war.
Oct. 30, 2025 and

Irreconcilable Presidential Determinations: On Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan Government

The two determinations are mutually exclusive; it is legally impossible to maintain both simultaneously.
Oct. 29, 2025 , and 1 more
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) during the Great Heritage - Common Future Forum, a Russian-Belarusian meeting, dedicated to the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad on April 29, 2025 in Volgograd, Russia. Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko are having a joint visit to Volgograd, former Stalingrad, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

Memorandum for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine

James Goldston and Esti Tambay present their organization's work, a Memorandum supporting efforts to hold officials accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Oct. 27, 2025 and
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