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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 WarLaw of Armed Conflict/IHLRussia-UkraineSudanUse of Force
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3,316 Articles
Graves of people including children who were killed in the war including airstrikes carried out by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, are seen at a cemetery on June 17, 2020 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Defense Policy Negotiations Near Completion in Congress, With Human Rights Provisions in Play

Issues at stake include militarization of law enforcement, civilian casualties, military base renaming, arms transfers, and more.
Nov. 25, 2020
Ethiopian refugees who fled fighting in the Tigray Region gather to receive snacks at the Village 8 border reception center in Sudan's eastern Gedaref State, on November 20, 2020.

Ethiopia’s Tigray Crisis: Escalating Violence and Mass Displacement Threaten Ethiopian and Regional Security

Without a coordinated effort between key States to push the parties toward a ceasefire and negotiation, a prolonged armed conflict could have serious destabilizing effects on several…
Nov. 25, 2020
Members and supporters of The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture hold a rally to demand Congressional action to stop torture on Capitol Hill March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. A banner reads, “Torture is un-American.”

On Accountability and the Next Presidency, Starting With the Cabinet

To truly “Build Back Better,” as Biden promised, he must not nominate, appoint, or otherwise hire anyone for his administration who has seriously abused power.
Nov. 23, 2020 and
Prosecutor Robert Jackson speaks at the Nuremberg Trials, 21 November 1945.

75 Years Ago at Nuremberg: Giving a Name to Crimes Against Humanity

The world has not come close to ending such heinous crimes, but the trials established the principle that perpetrators can and must be brought to justice.
Nov. 19, 2020
A truck displays posters against the "False Positives in Colombia", extrajudicial executions during the Democratic Security program of the Alvaro Uribe government during a protest on August 06, 2020 in Bogota, Colombia.

US-Opposed Probe of Colombia’s Uribe Is Essential Step in Road to Peace

Uribe was released under pressure last month, but attempts to thwart transitional justice will only undermine efforts to sustain the 2016 peace agreement.
Nov. 18, 2020 and
Razor wire tops the fence of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay on October 23, 2016 at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. An American flag waves in the background.

A Path for Renewing Guantanamo Closure

Although closing the 20-year-old detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) may not be a marquee issue among the many significant challenges Joe Biden will face as president…
Nov. 17, 2020
A RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow Missile (NSSM) is fired from the forward launcher aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during a live-fire exercise.

Revisiting the Office of Legal Counsel’s Override Opinion

A critical analysis of 1989 OLC Opinion that would allow President to use force in violation of UN Charter and without Congressional support.
Nov. 17, 2020
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) looks through a door window to a crowded cell where men suspected to be affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: International Humanitarian Law – Treatment of Detainees

Prisoners are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 – especially in a war zone. What obligations do combatants have to prisoners of war and other detainees during a pandemic?…
Nov. 16, 2020 , and 1 more
Russian troops check their equipment in their Armoured Personnel carrier (APC) stationed in front of the 12th-13th century Orthodox Dadivank Monastery, outside the town of Kalbajar on November 15, 2020, after the monastery was put under their protection during the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

After Russia’s Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire, Could Turkey Step Up Next for a Lasting Peace?

Despite his confrontational approach, Erdoğan has a pragmatic streak and knows he needs to adjust his politics to address the country’s international isolation.
Nov. 16, 2020 and
Children collect grain spilt on the field from gunny bags that ruptured upon ground impact following a food drop from a plane at a village in Ayod county, South Sudan, where World Food Programme (WFP) have just carried out a food drop of grain and supplementary aid on February 6, 2020.

A Landmark Report on Starvation as a Method of Warfare

On the 5th of October, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, established in 2016 with a view to monitoring human rights and facilitating transitional justice in the country,…
Nov. 13, 2020
International Red Cross and Red Crescent workers keep watch at an airport in the southern city of Aden, the interim seat of the Yemeni government, on October 16, 2020, as the war-torn country began swapping 1,000 prisoners in a complex operation overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: International Humanitarian Law – Humanitarian Access

As COVID-19 spreads unchecked in war-torn areas around the world, the international humanitarian law principle of humanitarian access has become more urgent than ever. Local health…
Nov. 12, 2020 , and 1 more
Patmanathan Kokilavani holds photos of her two children at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared on May 13, 2019 in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Behind her are numerous photos strung on a wall of others who are disappeared.

Human Shields and Proportionality: How Legal Experts Defended War Crimes in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Civil War constitutes an unprecedented case in terms of the number of people who were framed as human shields and the mobilization of prominent human rights…
Nov. 12, 2020 and
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