Armed Conflict • International Law
Law of Armed Conflict/IHL
1,740 Articles
Legal Implications of the Defect in Pentagon’s Civilian Casualty Assessments
Goodman supplements his New York Times Op-ed by discussing two legal implications of a flaw in how the Pentagon counts civilian casualties.
Common Article 1 and the U.S. Duty to Ensure Respect for the Geneva Conventions in Yemen
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis meets with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 19, 2017. (DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt.…
State Responsibility for U.S. Support of the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen
This article is the latest article in our forum on the Yemen crisis and the law. The international law of state responsibility, captured in the International Law Commission’s…
Historic Moment for Liberians: Warlord Sentenced to 30 Years
Above: Mohammed Jabbateh in court. Image: Chase Walker/Civitas Maxima On April 19, a federal judge in Philadelphia handed down one of the most severe penalties ever imposed by…
Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018
Statements, Chart, and Map for every state in the world that has taken a public position on the legality and justification of strikes in Syria conducted by the US, UK, and France.
At a Crossroad: The Int’l Criminal Court’s Afghanistan Probe and the International Law Commission
This piece is the latest in our online symposium–spearheaded by Professor Laura Dickinson–focusing on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe in Afghanistan and its…
If Mattis Meant to Assert Self-Defense for the Syria Strike, He Was Wrong
Since the United States conducted a military strike on various targets associated with the Syrian government’s chemical weapons program last week, prominent voices in the legal…
The Legality of Using Force to Deter Chemical Warfare
We should not be asking whether the missile strikes against Syria's chemical weapons program represent a lawful humanitarian intervention. Instead, we should be asking if – and…
Corker’s Proposal Hands Trump A Dangerous, Open-Ended War Authorization
While the media is focused on the Trump administration’s strikes against Syria, there’s another effort to entrench and expand the U.S. global war posture that’s getting less…
Bad Legal Arguments for the Syria Strikes
There is no apparent domestic or international legal authority for the airstrikes conducted in Syria on April 14.
“A Troubled Place”—Trump Doubles Down on Syria…While Also Giving Up On It
Former NSC official, Joshua Geltzer writes, "for Trump to double down on America’s mission in Syria by committing to a sustained counter-chemical weapons campaign while at the…
Kurdish-Held Detainees in Syria Are Not in a “Legal Gray Area”
Kurdish troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in a forward operating base overlooking the frontline near the ISIL-held town of Hole in Rojava, Syria. (Photo by John Moore/Getty…