Law of Armed Conflict/IHL

Image: BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - MARCH 24, 2019: A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter walks past destroyed vehicles in the final ISIL encampment on March 24, 2019 in Baghouz, Syria. The Kurdish-led and American-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) declared on March 23 the "100 percent territorial defeat" of the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group once controlled vast areas across Syria and Iraq, a population of up to 12 million, and a "caliphate" that drew tens of thousands of foreign nationals to join its ranks. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Al-Kurdi Capture Raises Thorny Detention Issues

The capture raises a host of issues on detention and prosecution of terrorists in areas where the US does not have a large ground presence.

Jun. 17, 2022 Tess Bridgeman, Luke Hartig and 1 more

Nigerian Policemen of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) patrol on the main square in Timbuktu as a woman passes from the left, on December 8, 2021. The carry large guns.

Preventing the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali from Falling into Irrelevance

With the UN Security Council considering renewal of MINUSMA's mandate, are there ways it can better address the range of security threats?

Jun. 16, 2022 Seán Smith

Genocide Determinations and Ukraine: A Q&A with Fmr. Ambassador Todd Buchwald

Former U.S. Amb. for Global Criminal Justice explains the legal and policy considerations for determining a genocide has occurred (or is underway) and examines the potential consequences.

Jun. 14, 2022 Todd Buchwald

Hidden In Plain Sight: US Nonprofits As Drivers of Illegal Israeli Settlements

US NGOs direct tax deductible contributions to organizations engaged in building settlements on occupied territory.

Jun. 10, 2022 Elena Hodges

Don’t Forget Your Friends: Risks and Opportunities in Security Partnerships

Any policy on civilian protection that lack a robust plan for working with partners would be incomplete. New frameworks, tools, and capabilities are needed to support partners…

Jun. 9, 2022 Trevor Keck

A person walks along a street past a charred residential building in the city of Mariupol on April 29, 2022, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Transitional Justice in Ukraine: Guidance to Policymakers

A successful mechanism must involve civil society and include the impact of Russia’s armed conflict preceding this year’s full invasion.

Jun. 2, 2022 Kateryna Busol and Rebecca Hamilton

IMAGE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and children refresh themselves in a fountain in central Mariupol on June 15, 2019, during his first official visit to the frontline port city of Mariupol, where he took part in joint exercises of the Ukrainian national guard, border guard, sappers and divers in the Sea of Azov. The city at the time was about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the then-active combat zone, and was celebrating the 5th anniversary of it's liberation from the Russia-backed rebels in 2014. (Photo EVGENIYA MAKSYMOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Mariupol and the Origins and Avenues of Ukraine’s Transitional Justice Process

Government and civil society began a holistic approach to peace and reconciliation three years ago. It's time now to update and implement.

Jun. 1, 2022 Kateryna Busol

Illustration of a Second Italian War of Independence 1859, Battle of Solferino, 24.6.1859, French Emperor Napoleon III and his staff

A Memory of Solferino

Reviewing Hugo Slim, Solferino 21: Warfare, Civilians and Humanitarians in the Twenty-First Century (London: Hurst & Company, 2022). Amid the brutal siege, costing the lives…

May 26, 2022 Boyd van Dijk

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (L) delivers a speech during an urgent debate on the Ukraine conflict at the UN Human Right Council in Geneva on March 3, 2022.

Toward a Better Accounting of the Human Toll in Putin’s War of Aggression

With the war entering its fourth month, the United Nations and others should address the killing of Ukrainian soldiers as well as Russian conscripts who Putin has effectively sent…

May 24, 2022 Ryan Goodman and Ambassador (ret.) Keith Harper

Image: 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. - President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing genocide and attempting to eliminate the "whole nation" of Ukraine, a day after the discovery of mass graves and apparently executed civilians near Kyiv. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Compilation of Countries’ Statements Calling Russian Actions in Ukraine “Genocide”

A comprehensive guides to which states have called Russia's actions genocide.

May 20, 2022 Elizabeth Whatcott

A stack of the book “Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions” by Boyd van Dijk. One book stands upright showing the full cover, which includes an image of an empty hall with raised seating in the back. At the top reads, “The history and Theory of International Law.” The bottom shows the publisher as Oxford.

Review of Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions

Reviewing Boyd van Dijk, Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022). Boyd van Dijk has written a superb political and legal…

May 16, 2022 Hugo Slim

An overhead view of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

Defense Dept Law of War Manual and Its Unintended Readings: On Civilians Assuming Risk of Harm

The Manual risks creating a false impression that is not intended by the senior Defense Department leadership who produced the Manual — a problem that could significantly undervalue…

May 13, 2022 Ryan Goodman and Gordon Dunbar