Armed Conflict • International Law
Law of Armed Conflict/IHL
1,656 Articles
Clearing the Fog of War Surrounding Battlefield Use of Tear Gas
The United States takes the (minority) view that international law does not prohibit the defensive use of tear gas in war - and that this could protect civilians - but the risks…
The Eroding Norms Against Chemical Weapons Use Will Need More Than Another Syria Censure to Survive
A challenge inspection and an expanded mandate for a new investigations team are among options to halt the global backsliding.
The US Should Respect the ICC’s Founding Mandate
An American Society of International Law task force recommends ways to improve the Court, but some of the advice seems to undermine the goal.
Dispatch from Israel on Human Shields: What I Should’ve Said to a Dad on the Playground
Who's responsible for the deaths of those civilians in Gaza who were near areas where Hamas operates?
The ICC Ntaganda Appeals Judgment: The End of Indirect Co-perpetration?
The complex and contested indirect co-perpetration theory of liability remains under a cloud at the ICC.
The Illegality of Targeting Civilians by Way of Belligerent Reprisal: Implications for U.S. Nuclear Doctrine
It is time for the United States to acknowledge that customary international law today prohibits targeting civilians in reprisal for an adversary’s violations of the law of war.
Ukraine’s Pandemic-Era Obligations to Civilians in Crimea and Donbas Under Humanitarian Law
Russia is not the sole State with such responsibilities. As the displaced sovereign, Ukraine retains certain residual obligations towards its citizens.
Trump’s Secret Rules for Drone Strikes and Presidents’ Unchecked License to Kill
FOIA lawsuit obtains Trump administration's playbook. Hina Shamsi writes about the broader lessons for secret presidential powers.
At 100 Days, Grading Biden’s Progress Toward a More Responsible US Arms Trade Policy
As we near the 100-day mark of this administration, and with the president delivering a “State of the Union”-like address this evening, now is a good moment to assess its arms…
Recognizing the Armenian Genocide Marks a Historic Turning Point in American Foreign Policy
In a significant break with his predecessors, President Joe Biden formally recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, the annual day of remembrance for the massacres.
A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture
April 23 marks one year since the start of the Syrian torture trial in Koblenz, Germany. It has already offered some preliminary lessons for future “universal jurisdiction”…
Team of Legal Gladiators? Iraqi Militias’ Tortured Relationship with Law
The country's Iran-backed militias are not law-abiding, but they know Iraqis care about rule of law and have adopted the law as a battlespace.