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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
A team member of MINUSMA stands across from a helicopter in Sobane Da, in the Mopti region in central Mali.

As UN Renews Peacekeeping in Mali, Civilian Protection Requires Ongoing Push for Air Assets

The mission is missing critical military helicopters it needs in several locations to carry out its recently expanded mandate.
Jun. 24, 2020
Norway signs the United Nations Charter and other country representatives stand behind at the The San Francisco Conference, 25 April - 26 June 1945.

The United Nations Charter at 75: Between Force and Self-Defense — Part Two

A more complete view of the UN Charter explains why there are no unwritten exceptions to the prohibition of force.
Jun. 24, 2020
Norway signs the United Nations Charter and other country representatives stand behind at the The San Francisco Conference, 25 April - 26 June 1945.

The United Nations Charter at 75: Between Force and Self-Defense — Part One

As we celebrate the Charter’s seventy-fifth birthday, a deep dive into its negotiating history shows that the right of self-defense under Article 51 is triggered by an act of…
Jun. 24, 2020
Iraqi human rights activist Nadia Murad, co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, listens during a press conference at the National Press Club October 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Draft “Murad Code” Aims to Improve Investigations of Sexual Violence in Conflict

The guidelines respond to troubling past practices that made investigations ineffective, re-traumatizing, unnecessarily duplicative, and a security risk.
Jun. 19, 2020
Iraqi Yazidi women arrive at Lalish temple in a valley near Dohuk, 430 km (260 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad, on June 24, 2018.

New UN Handbook on Sexual Violence in Conflict Helps, But Still Falls Short

It omits a key type of violation and fails to account for the power structures that enable multiple forms of sexual violence and abuse.
Jun. 19, 2020 and
Christian faithfuls hold signs reading, "Politicians work for the good of Nigeria," "God is love," and "God hates injustice"as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020.

Make Democracy and Governance a Keystone of the US Global Fragility Strategy

The US too often views its work on fragile or failed states as "fixing" various sectors, without enough focus on the political dynamics underneath.
Jun. 18, 2020 and
Injured Iraqis classified as enemy prisoners of war walk into a medevac helicopter as they are transferred from the 28th Combat Support Hospital, about 25 kilometers south west of Baghdad, 15 July, 2003, to Camp Cropper, a prison camp at the Saddam International Airport in Baghdad.

New Developments in ICRC Commentaries to the POW Convention

On Tuesday, June 16 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched its updated Commentary to the Geneva Convention III Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War…
Jun. 18, 2020
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during a developmental test, Feb. 5, 2020, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The Potential U.S. Security Threats in Letting New START Lapse

Almost every problem that critics say this nuclear-weapons pact doesn't solve would be aggravated if the treaty expires.
Jun. 16, 2020
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (C) holds a joint news conference on the International Criminal Court with (L-R) US Attorney General William Barr, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2020.

The Self-Defeating Executive Order Against the International Criminal Court

"I know because I used to make this theoretical international law argument...on behalf of the U.S. Government many years ago."
Jun. 12, 2020
Protestors outside Downing street after they marched to raise awareness and rally against the crisis in Darfur on September 16, 2007 in London, England.

Ali Kushayb’s Arrest Highlights the Other Side of the U.S.–ICC Relationship

There has been a lot happening over the past couple of weeks, at home and abroad. So it would have been easy to miss the news that earlier this week, Ali Kushayb, a Sudanese war…
Jun. 12, 2020
Virtual press briefing by the President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande

National Security at the United Nations This Week (June 5-12)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
Jun. 12, 2020
A man and a girl stand in front of a mural in homage of six Jesuit priests and two employees murdered during the civil war on the 30th anniversary of the crime in San Salvador, on November 16, 2019.

After 30 Years of Impunity, the Jesuits Massacre Trial Commences in Spain

Monday, after a decade of pre-trial litigation, a trial that is seeking justice for the 1989 massacre in El Salvador of six Jesuit priests (Ignacio Ellacuría, Ignacio Martín-Baró,…
Jun. 11, 2020
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