Armed Conflict • International Law
Law of Armed Conflict/IHL
1,740 Articles

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…

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.

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.

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,…

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.

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.

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…

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.