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Law of Armed Conflict/IHL

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A view of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, on October 24, 2023, in Jerusalem, Israel.

The New October 7 Tribunal and the Legitimacy Challenge of Atrocity Adjudication

The tribunal will be judged not only by the verdicts it produces, but by the institutional model of accountability it leaves behind.
Police and forensic investigators examine the location of impact after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galati, eastern Romania.

Drones Over Europe: The Prohibition on the Use of Force and Unintended Harm

Russia’s drone incursions into E.U. territory raise important questions about how unintended engagements are regulated under international law.
Fans fill the stands at the top and bottom of the image, watching a basketball game on the light-colored wood of the basketball court in the center, which is emblazoned with the NBA logo and "Abu Dhabi Games 2023."

The NBA’s Genocide Problem

The NBA’s partnership with the United Arab Emirates is laundering the reputation of a regime that supports a militia responsible for ​committing genocide in Sudan.
Pigeons fly against a darkened, cloudy sky looming over a skyline of mid-rise buildings in the background and a destroyed concrete building in the foreground.

Ukraine and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression: Redefining International Justice

The tribunal to prosecute Russia's crime of aggression seeks to close one of the most enduring gaps in international criminal law and strengthen the U.N. Charter.
Former head of political security in south Syria's Daraa province, Atif Najib (R) attends the first trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus on April 26, 2026.

Syria’s Accountability Gap: The Najib Trial and the Case for the ICC

The first criminal trial against a senior Assad regime official comes at a time when Syria’s legal framework remains fragile.
Hegseth is seen in the foreground, walking by a wooden dias where members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are standing and sitting in a wood-paneled room.

Congress Can Act Now on U.S. DoD Inspector’s Report Revealing Violations of Civilian Harm Policy and Law

A Defense Department Inspector General report shows the Pentagon’s failure to prioritize congressionally mandated civilian protection mechanisms amid U.S. military action.
People walk through heavy rubble inside the destroyed courtyard of Al-Zeitoun Preparatory School in Gaza City, following Israeli airstrikes on June 29, 2025. The scene is viewed through metal bars in the foreground.

The ICESCR in Armed Conflict: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Experts argue ICESCR applies in armed conflict and caution against broad claims of international humanitarian law as lex specialis.
Head of the Shin Bet domestic security service Major General David Zini (L) speaks with Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir as they wait for a speech by US President Donald Trump at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025.

“Hunting” the October 7 Attackers: What the Law of Armed Conflict Permits – and What It Doesn’t

Legal analysis of Israel's operation to kill or capture every individual involved in the October 7th massacre.
A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question on May 21, 2026. (Via UN Photo) A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question on May 21, 2026. (Via UN Photo)

Follow the Law, Not the Plan: Legal Considerations for Third States in Gaza

Third State’s support for Trump’s Gaza plan must remain strictly conditioned on compliance with international law and be continuously reassessed in light of evolving facts.…
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implements a maritime blockade against an Iranian-flagged ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 26, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. Rafael Peralta is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (Handout photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Is the United States (Still) at War? How Wars Begin and End

Armed conflict is not a matter of political branding, rhetorical convenience, or domestic law positioning. It is a legal status that turns on objective facts.
Residents walk with a bicycle past destroyed buildings in Yarmouk camp, Damascus, Syria, on November 8, 2025. Established in 1957, Yarmouk was once the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria, but years of conflict left much of it in ruins. (Photo by Omar Albaw / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Starvation on Trial: Koblenz and the Case of Yarmouk

A trial in Germany concerning the siege of Yarmouk in Syria tests the application of universal jurisdiction to patterns of siege warfare and civilian deprivation.
People wave Iranian flags from the bed of a truck depicting Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani

Is the United States at War with Iraq?

The non-international armed conflict between the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the United States and Israel has yet to transform into an international armed conflict.
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