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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.

Civilian HarmIsrael-Hamas WarRussia-UkraineSudanLaw of Armed Conflict/IHLUse of Force
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3,331 Articles
U.S. special operations service members conduct combat operations in support of Operation Resolute Support in Southeast Afghanistan, May 2019. The image is dark and the service members are lit in a low green light.

Defining “Endless War” is Essential for Proper Strategic Analysis of America’s Wars

Clarifying what makes today’s war endless helps point toward the much-needed changes to existing authorizations and the culture that views military force as the proper response…
Feb. 3, 2021
Sri Lankan journalist C.A Chandraprema gives a copy of 'Gota's War' to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse as defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa looks on during the launch of the book 'Gota's War' in Colombo on May 14, 2012.

Sri Lanka’s UN Efforts to Stave Off Justice for War Crimes

The Rajapaksa government has gone so far as to install someone allegedly associated with a death squad on the Human Rights Council.
Feb. 3, 2021
Heavily damaged building in Raqa collapse into rubble piles in the street in a photograph taken on October 21, 2017, after a Kurdish-led force expelled the Islamic State group from the northern Syrian city.

Why We Haven’t Made Progress on Civilian Protection

Three reasons for the lack of progress on reducing civilian casualties: We don’t learn, we don’t lead, and we don’t help our partners—or hold them to a high enough standard.
Feb. 3, 2021
Prosthetic legs are stacked against a wall with a mirror in the therapy room at the ICRC Orthopedic Center on October 1 2019 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Some of the prosthetics wear sandals or sneakers and others are barefoot.

The Progress Not Made on Protecting Civilians  

I was recently asked to reflect on the progress the United States has made on civilian protection after two decades of war and counterterrorism operations since 9/11. I got down…
Feb. 2, 2021
Local elderly residents take shelter in the basement of an undisclosed church on October 12, 2020 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Boxes and blankets are placed in piles on the floor and there are a few chairs and benches on which people sit. A person walks past the camera using a walking cane.

Power Politics Obstructs Protection of Civilians in — and After — the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Five measures that Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with Russia, Turkey, and the international community must take now to improve conditions.
Feb. 2, 2021 and
Georgian families visit the remains of their homes that were bombed by Russian aircraft August 28, 2008 in Gori, Georgia. Debris litters the floor. Buildings are missing walls and ceilings appear to be collapsing.

Georgia v. Russia: Jurisdiction, Chaos and Conflict at the European Court of Human Rights

A troubling decision by the European Court of Human Rights on its power to adjudicate alleged rights violations related to armed conflict.
Feb. 2, 2021

Why Guantánamo Detainees Should Have Access to COVID Vaccines Part I: Law of Armed Conflict and Good Policy

The laws of war require vaccinating Guantanamo detainees. So do policy imperatives — including the U.S. military's own self-interests.
Feb. 1, 2021 , and 1 more
Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.
Feb. 1, 2021
The building and grounds of Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. There is a grassy lawn with a fountain, trees lining the sides, and the building itself is centered.

German Court Major Judgment on Foreign Officials’ Lack of Immunity in War Crimes Trials

A leading scholar explains landmark decision by Germany's highest criminal court.
Feb. 1, 2021
Female Israeli and Palestinian members of the "Parents Circle Families Forum" association, an organisation made up of more than 600 families who have seen a family member die in the conflict, destroy a symbolic wall representing the Israeli security barrier that runs through the occupied West Bank, in Beit Jala near the biblical town of Bethlehem, on March 10, 2017.

New Aid for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Aims at Issues Underlying Security

The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act provides an unprecedented $250 million over five years for economic and people-to-people projects.
Jan. 29, 2021
Family members and relatives take part in the funeral procession of Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad at Khoja Omari district of Ghazni province, on December 22, 2020. The group appears to walk uphill and fills the span of the block.

Unprecedented Threats to Journalists & Civil Society Activists Are Threatening Afghanistan

Who benefits from the killing of journalists, human rights activists, and civil society members in Afghanistan? What purposes could it serve and for whom?
Jan. 29, 2021
Anti-nuclear activists of ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) and other peace initiatives stage a protest with 51 flags of countries that ratified the UN Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons and a banner reading "Nuclear weapons are forbidden ! More than 50 states joined. Germany didn't", in front of the Chancellery in Berlin, on January 22, 2021.

NATO and the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty: Options for the Biden Administration

Whether the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons becomes a problem for NATO is entirely up to the allies.
Jan. 28, 2021
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