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Syrian men evacuate children from the rubble of destroyed buildings following reported government airstrike on the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on February 25, 2017.

Time to Move Beyond the Rhetoric of Protecting Civilians in Conflict

In his annual protection report to the United Nations Security Council, released this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a clear call to parties to conflict…
A doctor speaks with a patient during an online consultation session at a hospital in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province on February 4, 2020.

Oxford Statement on the International Law Protections Against Cyber Operations Targeting the Health Care Sector

In advance of Friday, May 22 Arria-Formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Turkish military tanks drive past the town of Ariha on the M4 highway in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on May 7, 2020.

Turkey Opened the Door to the European Court of Human Rights for Syrian Victims

With Turkey's occupation of parts of northern Syria, a new venue may now be available to victims: the European Court of Human Rights.
Afghan security personnel arrive at the site of an attack outside a hospital in Kabul on May 12, 2020.

Beyond Reproach: Legal, Political, and Social Implications of the Recent Attack on a Maternity Ward in Afghanistan

Childbirth is a trepidatious experience for every expectant mother anywhere in the world. Imagine, then, being in a maternity ward that comes under a blaze of gunfire. On May 12,…
Arrest poster of Felicien Kabuga. Reads, "Felicien Kabuga Arrested: 16/05/2020"

And Then There Were Seven: Rwandan Félicien Kabuga Arrested in France

The case illustrates the long arm of justice, via international tribunals created in the 1990s after the genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
A Yemeni man looks at graffiti protesting against US drone strikes on September 19, 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen.

U.S. Fails to Acknowledge Killing Yemeni Civilians

A Yemen-based human rights organization has documented the impact of U.S. air strikes for the last seven years. The results contradict DOD's report.
Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly above Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Feb. 2, 2018.

The Fatal Flaw in DOD’s Latest Civilian Casualties Report

Lawmakers and even the Trump administration have increasingly expressed concern about the United States waging an “endless war,” and among those concerns is the impact on civilians…
A medical staff at Damascus Countryside Specialised Hospital holds a placard reading, "Assad Sees no Red Lines, Only Green Lights!!"condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun.

The Syrian War’s Forcing Effect on International Law

A new book by Scharf, Sterio, and Williams demonstrates how global legal standards have shifted with the increasing complexity of war.
A sign reading, "Office of Military Commissions Expeditionary Legal Complex Guantanamo Bay, Cuba" stands close to where pre-trial hearings are being held for the detainees at the military prison on June 25, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Getting It Wrong: The 9/11 Military Commission and the Justiciability of Armed Conflict

In an apparent effort to preserve its own jurisdiction while proceeding towards trial, the 9/11 military commission has made a hash of its armed conflict jurisprudence. It has…
Afghan men gather near the road as a military convoy by soldiers from the 1st Platoon, 1-64 Armoured Batallion, US Army - operating under NATO - roll-past security patrols at Morghan-Kecha village in Daman district, Kandahar on September 6, 2012.

Here’s What the New DoD Policy on Civilian Harm Should Include

It should standardize good practice and set the bar where it belongs: safeguarding civilian life from the effects of U.S. military operations.
US Army from NATO and Afghan commando forces at a checkpoint during a patrol against Islamic State militants at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province. There are multiple vehicles around the checkpoint.

Grading DOD’s Annual Civilian Casualties Report: “Incomplete”

The new information demonstrates how much progress the department has made and yet how much of a paradigm shift is still needed for full accountability.
Electronics Technician 2nd Class Hao Lienh, assigned to Commander Task Force 56, wears a face mask and stands watch on a Mark VI Patrol Boat before a weapons sustainment exercise in the Arabian Gulf, April 16, 2020.

Iranian Gunboat Harassment and the Rules of Engagement

What to make of Trump's order to “shoot down and destroy” lranian boats that harass US vessels. International law and Standing Rules of Engagement place significant limits.
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