Armed Conflict
Law of Armed Conflict/IHL
1,633 Articles
What to Expect from Next Week’s Fifth CCW Review Conference Focusing on Lethal Autonomous Weapons
On Monday, the Fifth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be…
Human Rights Law is the Legal Basis for Use of Force Against Non-State Armed Groups—But What Follows?
In recent weeks there have been two significant and related debates on Just Security about the justification for the use of force against non-state armed groups and the place of…
The Newly Released National Security Framework Report: An Important Step Forward
On Tuesday, President Obama made the case in his final national security speech that staying true to American values is not a weakness, but the country’s greatest strength…
The Laws of War: Their Nature and Moral Function
In his final address on issues of war and peace, President Obama reminds us all that “[w]e are a nation that stands for the rule of law, and strengthen[s] the laws of war.”…
Human Shields in International Humanitarian Law: A Guide to the Legal Framework
To assist our readers interested in the phenomenon of human shields, I’ve produced a compilation of the relevant legal framework (additions/suggestions welcome!) These rules…
The Bobbitt Version
Beginning in 2002 with the publication of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History and continuing through Terror and Consent: the Wars for the Twenty First…
In MacDill Speech, Obama Makes the Case For Why Wars Should be Fought Lawfully [Full Text]
President Barack Obama made a last trip to MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, Florida, Tuesday to put his final mark on his administration’s counterterrorism strategy and to thank…
What’s Actually New in the New Drone Strike & Military Force Disclosures?
Yesterday, President Barack Obama released a series of documents relating to the use of military force abroad, including a 66-page Report on the Legal and Policy Frameworks Guiding…
President Obama’s Report on the Legal and Policy Frameworks Guiding and Limiting the Use of Military Force [UPDATED]
The Administration just released five new documents relating to the use of force, including detention, in counterterrorism operations against nonstate armed groups. The most important…
Memo to President Obama: You Have Another Memo to Withdraw
The election of Donald Trump has triggered an anxious conversation about how President Obama can entrench some of his accomplishments before January 21, 2017. Importantly, given…
Congress on Track to Extend Condolence Payments to Syrians
The Pentagon will soon have permission from Congress to make condolence payments to the families of civilians killed or injured by American airstrikes in Syria, as well as Iraq…
New ICRC Survey: Large Global Divide in Public Respect for Humanitarian Norms
A massive global survey on the laws of war includes some striking findings on public attitudes, including large differences of opinion that vary according to where people live.…