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M23 soldiers walk down the street as M23 North Kivu provincial leadership marked one year of M23's control of Goma with a review of ongoing construction work and a visit to the Stade de l'Unite on February 6, 2026 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

DRC Takes Rwanda to the ICJ: Proxy Warfare, Layered Obligations, and the Future of State Responsibility

The DRC’s case against Rwanda could mark an important moment in the legal development of responsibility for proxy warfare.
A soldier holds a drone in the Pentagon parking lot on June 14, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

The Pentagon’s Autonomous Weapons Definitions Don’t Need an Overhaul, They Need an Update

The Pentagon's push to integrate AI into weapons systems exposes a critical gap: no one can agree on what "autonomous weapons" means.
Damaged bridge over a river with a large hole in the middle and people looking on.

When Civilian Infrastructure Becomes a Lawful Target

Civilian infrastructure is not targetable merely because it is economically significant or politically useful to strike, but only when it offers a definite military advantage.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Clausewitz on Operation Epic Fury

Applying Clausewitz’s principles to Operation Epic Fury reveals the war’s strategic design–architecture linking military action to political purpose–was deficient from…
A red and white cargo ship at sea in the distance, with a yellow crane-like piece of equipment, presumably at the terminal, in the foreground.

Merchant Mariners: Unseen in Peacetime and Forgotten in Conflict

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran illustrates how thousands of merchant mariners, so desperately needed globally, increasingly are trapped at sea during times of conflict.
The exterior of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on March 28, 2026.

The State Department’s Campaign Against the ICC Rests on a Misunderstanding of How the Court Actually Works

While the ICC does have real problems, the State Department's campaign against it is premised on a misapprehension of how the Court works.
The building of the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2019. (Photo by OSeveno via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons license)

In Context: Analyzing Secretary Rubio’s International Criminal Court Op-Ed

International law scholars address some of the factual claims and underlying assumptions in Secretary Marco Rubio's op-ed on dismantling the International Criminal Court.

What does the Trump Administration Statement on Dismantling the ICC Really Mean?

International law experts respond to the Trump administration's campaign to "dismantle" the International Criminal Court.
The afternoon sun shines on the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Civilian Protection in the Age of Military AI: What Congress’s New Legislative Proposals Reveal About Emerging Safeguards

Members of the Senate are taking steps to regulate and restrict how the Department of Defense develops and uses AI in its operations.
The United Nations Security Council meets on the Middle East, at UN Headquarters in New York, on June 10, 2026.

A Path For Middle Powers and a Rules-Based International Order: A Functional Perspective

German scholars argue that from a realpolitik perspective, commitment to international law is essential for States whose power is limited.
Defaced portraits of Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad (L) and his late father Hafez al-Assad (C) hang on a wall in the capital Damascus on June 2, 2025.

Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Historical Commissions Are Crucial for Syria

Transitional justice approaches in Syria must not isolate periods of oppression from the broader contexts that enabled them.
Rubio, in a dark suit, talks to al-Otaiba, in a traditional white Arab robe and head covering, as the two walk away from the camera toward what appears to be the arched outlines of a modern building. Rubio has his left hand on al-Otaiba's right shoulder in a friendly manner.

U.S., U.K. Won’t Stop UAE’s Support to Sudan’s RSF by Tiptoeing Around It

Governments and the private sector need to find the courage to apply reputational pressure on the UAE for supporting a force the U.S. cites for genocide in Sudan.
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