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.
3,544 Articles

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 25-31)
(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,…

Treaty Banning Cluster Munitions Turns 10, but Without the US
This November, Switzerland will convene the milestone Second Review Conference for the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Lausanne, but the U.S. is likely to be absent, as usual.

A Threat or A Warning: Russia’s Weapons Testing in Space
Are there rules governing the use of weapons in space? A well-established framework of international law centered on the Outer Space Treaty (OST), to which all major spacefaring…

Can the International Criminal Court Hold the Trump Administration in Contempt?
On June 11, President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing the imposition of sanctions targeting International Criminal Court officials. This article assesses the…

Defund America’s Endless Wars
Dismantling the structures of racist policing at home will require recognizing the continuum of security state violence that connects domestic policing, border enforcement and…

Legally Available Options: A Case for Indicting Russian Officers for Providing Material Support to the Taliban
Missing from analyses of potential responses to Russian operations in Afghanistan is the possibility of an indictment against the G.R.U. officers involved.

Getting Serious About Protecting Health Care in War
After years of indifference to examining whether its rules of engagement and other operational directives and practices contribute to the scourge of violence against health workers,…

The Best Way to Improve on New START Is By Extending It
An extension of New START would provide the United States the time and space to negotiate a follow-on arms control accord with Russia, China, and other nuclear powers.

USAID Has Suspended Aid to 80 Percent of Yemenis: An Appalling Abuse of Humanitarian Principles
USAID has suspended most aid for Yemenis living in territory controlled by the Houthi authorities in Sana’a. The suspension blocks $73 million in ongoing assistance and any additional…

The Caesar Sanctions Help Reinforce Norms Enshrined in International Law
Raising questions about the potential harmful effects of sanctions on civilians is an honorable task. As is ensuring that the sanctions meted out by the United States are backed…

Questions the Senate Should Ask State Legal Adviser Nominee CJ Mahoney
The State Department Legal Adviser is the most senior U.S. lawyer responsible for ensuring the United States upholds its international legal obligations, which is now, more than…

Non-lethal Assistance and the Syrian Conflict: Lessons from the Netherlands
Whether one thinks of Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Ukraine, third-State involvement is undeniably a common feature of many – if not most – ongoing non-international armed conflicts.…