Just Security – JustSecurity.org

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
× Clear Filters
3,331 Articles
World flags in front of the United Nations building

The Definition of Aggression and Self-Defense

Exactly forty-six years ago, on December 14, 1974, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by consensus, the Definition of Aggression, “the most serious and dangerous form…
Dec. 14, 2020
A city street in the Southern-Bosnian town of Mostar is busy with cars and is lined by a war-damaged business building on one side and a reconstructed city gymnasium school on the other side. Across from both buildings on the side closest to the photographer is a tree with lights.

The Bosnian Constitution, Marking 25 Years, Needs an American Reboot

The US has a historic opportunity to return to the country of its greatest post-Cold War triumph and mark its own homecoming to the international community.
Dec. 14, 2020
Women wait with children in a ward at a malnourishment treatment centre in Yemen's northern Hajjah province on November 22, 2020. The beds the children lie in are covered in netting, and the walkways between beds are very small since the beds are crowded together.

Biden Must Stick to His Pledge to End US Support for the Yemen War

The war in Yemen is a global mark of shame, and the resulting humanitarian disaster threatens the lives of 24 million people.
Dec. 14, 2020 and
Ethiopian refugees who fled the Tigray conflict, wait to fill their jerrycans with water at Um Raquba reception camp in Sudan's eastern Gedaref state on December 3, 2020. The jerry cans are lined in an “L” shape and people cluster in groups talking.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (Dec 4 – Dec 11)

Ethiopia’s Forces Fire On, Detain U.N. Personnel; UNHCR Voices Alarm  Ethiopia’s security forces shot at and detained U.N. staffers as they tried to reach part of the embattled…
Dec. 11, 2020 and
Trump claps his hands at the Republican presidential nomination as son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and children Eric and Ivanka Trump look on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. None of them wear face masks.

We Can’t “Look Forward” on the Trump Administration’s Abuses

When President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, he will confront a national economic crisis and a still out-of-control pandemic. He will also face questions about how to…
Dec. 11, 2020
Ethiopian refugee grade four pupils who fled the Tigray conflict attend class at a makeshift classroom set by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on December 7, 2020. One child squats on the ground surrounded by shoes while the others sit on a blanket. The children hold books and papers in their laps.

Protecting Ethiopian Refugees — and Averting the Next Crisis

Refugee crises often seem to emerge out of nowhere. All of a sudden, people are streaming across borders, making the excruciating choice that is no choice at all: to flee home…
Dec. 9, 2020 and
The White House, Washington, D.C.

Addressing Our Whole-of-Government Deficit in National Security

From Russ Travers who retired in July 2020 after a 42-year career in the Intelligence Community, having served in senior positions across multiple intelligence organizations --…
Dec. 8, 2020
Robert H. Jackson’s opening statement at the Nuremberg Trials.

A Commander’s Duty to Punish War Crimes: Past U.S. Recognition

A comprehensive, sweeping analysis of "the United States’ own long-standing views that a commander’s failure to punish war crimes by his subordinates may itself amount to war…
Dec. 4, 2020
$100 US bills being printed. The bills have not yet been cut and appear to be in book form with multiple bills on each sheet.

Global Kleptocracy as an American Problem

Putting an end to the spread of corruption from kleptocratic autocracies into the United States will be one of the most significant challenges for the incoming administration.
Dec. 4, 2020 and
A child waits next to jerry cans and aid packages as Yemenis displaced by conflict receive huamnitarian aid provided by the Abs Development Organisation (ADO) in the northern province of Hajjah on September 17, 2020.

Six Reasons Why a Terrorist Designation for Yemen’s Houthis is a Bad Idea

The litmus test for U.S. policy on Yemen is simple: does it help end the conflict, or keep alive the millions of suffering Yemenis? A terrorist designation of the Houthis fails…
Dec. 3, 2020 and
Libyan delegates, including Abdessalam Shuha, Abdallah Shibani, Hussein Mohamed Elansari, an unidentified participant and Abdel Majid Mlayqtah attend the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum hosted in Gammarth on the outskirts of Tunisia's capital, on November 9, 2020. They stand side by side not socially distanced and wear face masks, though two of them do not wear the face masks properly, ie. not covering their noses.

Libya: Subnational Governance as a Potential Anchor of Stability

As the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum proceeds, a government structure that genuinely responds to legitimate grievances will be key to sustainable peace.
Dec. 2, 2020 and
An F-35A fighter aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force taking part in a military review at the Ground Self-Defence Force's Asaka training ground in Asaka, Saitama prefecture. October 14, 2018

Proposed UAE Arms Sale Raises National Security Concerns

The Trump administration's planned sale of F-35s to the UAE threatens a regional arms race and raises concerns about end uses of the sensitive defense technology. Congress has…
Dec. 1, 2020
1128129130131132278
1-12 of 3,331 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: