Armed Conflict
Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis on the legal, policy, and strategic dimensions of armed conflict, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war, counterterrorism operations, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, and other armed conflicts across the globe, with a focus on international humanitarian law, war crimes and accountability, mitigating and remedying civilian harm, and the humanitarian impacts of warfare.
3,547 Articles
Operation Epic Fury: Reports of the Death of International Law are Greatly Exaggerated
"I am sure some restrictionists will critique my analysis by claiming it is not grounded in orthodox interpretations of international law."
Report Offers New Evidence of Starvation Crimes in Darfur
The evidence in the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab report demonstrates that the world is watching and gathering information to eventually bring those responsible to account.
Technology and the ICRC’s GC IV 2025 Commentary
Surveys how the 2025 ICRC GC IV Commentary integrates technology into its analysis of specific rules, while raising concerns about its treatment of data as property.
Iran, War Powers, and the Power of the Purse: Leverage or Legalization
With America’s war in Iran costing around $2 billion per day, Congress will soon face a choice: use its leverage to force an exit, or continue to fund it.
Aggression, Plain and Simple: A Response to Shany and Cohen on the Attack on Iran
Legal academics debate the state of international law and international institutions in light of the US-Israel-Iran War.
Sinking Iran’s Frigate IRIS Dena and the Law of Naval Warfare
Legal explainer concerning the location of the Iranian vessel, the attack itself, and the U.S. submarine's lack of attempted rescue.
The International Community at a Crossroads Over Iran: The reawakening of “illegal but legitimate” or the “law of self-preservation”?
"The tensions we have identified are particularly acute when a State faces an existential threat and, as in here, from an enemy long committed to radically unlawful behavior."
The United Kingdom’s Use of Force Against Iran: Walking a Legal Tightrope?
An assessment of the United Kingdom's ability to maintain a legal line between defensive versus offensive operations against Iran.
Was Targeting Ayatollah Khamenei and Other Iranian Leaders Lawful? What Precedents Does It Set?
After Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei was killed in a U.S. and Israeli attack, a key question arises: when is striking a member of the enemy leadership lawful under the laws…
Double Preemption, Imminence, and the U.S. Attack Against Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s argument that Operation Epic Fury was an act of preemptive self-defense is not credible and does not satisfy the necessary precondition.
Russia’s Big War at Four: Ukraine Keeps Fighting and Keeps Talking
Ukrainians have withstood the Russian onslaught and, thanks to Europe, have managed despite the reduction of U.S. military assistance. Trump has more he could offer.
Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran
What Congress, journalists, and the public should ask the Trump administration about its war in Iran.