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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
Iraqi anti-government protesters rest beneath graffiti at Tahrir Square as nationwide protests entered a third month on December 5, 2019, in Baghdad, Iraq. The graffiti art reads, “An idea cannot be destroyed,” and shows a police officer beating a dandelion. On the other side of the wall, there is an image of an injured person lying on a cloud while their blood rains down on people below.

After Soleimani Killing, Iran and Its Proxies Recalibrate in Iraq

Understanding the motivations and capabilities of leading Iranian-backed militia units is vital for an effective US and Iraqi response to likely violence in the coming months.
Feb. 27, 2020
U.S. Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference following the bipartisan Senate vote on the War Powers Resolution on Iran with Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Congress Speaks: Trump Currently Has No Authority to Launch War with Iran

The House and Senate have passed resolutions that say President Trump has no authority to take the country to war against Iran.
Feb. 25, 2020
Afghan civil society activists attend a candlelight vigil for the nine civilians killed in Afghan army shelling, in Kabul on December 6, 2015.

Reduction of Civilian Harm in Afghanistan: A Way Forward

As all sides have jockeyed for leverage in Afghanistan, civilians have paid the price with over 10,000 civilian casualties in 2019.
Feb. 25, 2020 and
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir attends a meeting with his new 20-member cabinet as they take oath at the presidential palace in the capital on March 14, 2019.

Head of State Immunity is Too Important for the International Court of Justice

If the United Nations General Assembly, or another competent U.N. organ, simply requests an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, then its member States would…
Feb. 24, 2020
Graphics depicting war powers reporting. The first graphic shows a map with certain regions highlighted in different shades of purple. Most are in Africa and the Middle East. The second graph is a circle with green lines extending to other areas of the circle.

New Online Resource: War Powers and Presidential Practice

"Intended for use by policymakers, legislators, scholars, journalists and the general public, the Project is an expansive new resource that analyzes the war powers reporting practice…
Feb. 24, 2020 and
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the Refugee Summit Islamabad to mark 40 years of hosting Afghan refugee in Islamabad on February 17, 2020.

National Security at the United Nations This Week

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,…
Feb. 21, 2020
Sudanese protesters wait at a train station in Khartoum to board a train to Atbara on December 19, 2019 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their protest movement that brought down Omar al-Bashir last April after a thirty-year rule.

Sudan Takes Two Big Steps toward Normalizing Relations: USS Cole and Bashir

Sudan’s transitional government took two significant steps toward improving its international standing and normalizing relations with the United States by first agreeing for…
Feb. 21, 2020
Demonstrators holds up placards and banners while demonstrating, asking for Yahya Jammeh, the former President of the Gambia, to be brought to justice, in Banjul on January 25, 2020. One of the signs says, "No Place for Enforced Disappearance in Gambia."

Senators Call for Prosecution of Gambian Paramilitary Fighter in US Custody

Rare opportunity to criminally prosecute a person implicated in extremely grave human rights abuses in a U.S. court.
Feb. 21, 2020
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (C) along with Army Commander Shavendra Silva (L) and Navy Chief Piyal De Silva stand to attention during Sri Lanka's 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Colombo on February 4, 2020.

U.S. Issues Travel Ban on Sri Lankan Military Leader

The U.S. State Department’s announcement of a travel ban on Sri Lankan Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, current commander of the Sri Lankan Army and acting chief of the Defense…
Feb. 20, 2020
An Afghan orthopaedic technician makes artificial limbs in a workshop at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital for war victims and the disabled in Kabul.

When Professionalism Mattered: Dissent Against U.S. Policy on Landmines

President Trump's retaliation against principled dissenters and his jettisoning of longstanding U.S. policy on landmines converge in a look back to see how another administration…
Feb. 18, 2020
Flags of USA and Iran

White House ‘1264 Notice’ and Novel Legal Claims for Military Action Against Iran

"The administration’s positions amount to a fundamental revision of existing legal foundations for military action against Iran that can be undertaken by this and future presidents."
Feb. 14, 2020
Razor wire lines in front of the US flag at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Guantanamo’s Ugly Taint on U.S. Diplomacy

Watching the Guantanamo proceedings from behind the courtroom's safety glass brings to mind a different prison, halfway around the world, in Egypt.
Feb. 13, 2020
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