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
Director of Afghan Women Network (AWN) Mary Akrami, Afghan civil society and women's rights activist Laila Jafari, and Member of the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of the Afghan assembly) Fawzia Koofi attend the Intra Afghan Dialogue talks in the Qatari capital Doha on July 7, 2019.

Act Now to Celebrate the U.N. Women, Peace and Security Agenda in 2020

The United Nations Security Council took a historic step in October 2000 to promote the role of women in global peace and security. But if we want to be in a position to truly…
Aug. 19, 2019
An Afghan National Army officer, right, informs his U.S. Army counterparts from the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, left and center, about ANA troop movements May 6, 2013 while pursuing Taliban fighters in Babus, Afghanistan.

Part III: The Muddy Middle: A New Framework for Use of Force

We may not have wanted to land in this muddy middle between peace and war that we currently find ourselves in, but this is the reality of the current moment in the counterterrorism…
Aug. 16, 2019 and
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Majid Takht Ravanchi holds up maps of the Strait of Hormuz while speaking to the media before a meeting with other UN members on the escalating situation with the United States At United Nation headquarters on June 24, 2019 in New York City.

Proportionality and 150 Iranian Lives: Do They “Count”?

General (ret.) Ken Watkin explains why assessing civilian casualties in the jus ad bellum proportionality analysis is the right approach.
Aug. 16, 2019
A picture taken near the Iraqi city of Qaim at the Iraqi-Syrian border on November 11, 2018, shows US Army vehicles patrolling the Syrian side of the border.

Part II: The Muddy Middle: Challenges of Applying Use of Force Policy Guidance in Practice

In part two of a three-part series, the authors explain how new operational models for both why and how the U.S. used force outside areas of active hostilities created tensions…
Aug. 15, 2019 and
A US Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile stands on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport on June 13, 2010.

The Muddy Middle: The Disappearing Lines in America’s Counterterrorism Wars and How to Restore Order

In three articles, the authors explain how the lines have blurred between U.S. military operating procedures for use of force in hot war zones versus outside areas of active hostilities…
Aug. 14, 2019 and
Yazidi women hold up pictures of missed relatives during a commemoration ceremony in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on August 3, 2019.

To the 2020 Candidates: As President, Would You Prevent Another Genocide?

Two types of questions — asking about a specific country context or a broad use-of-force policy — have guided debates on the national stage about the U.S. role in atrocity…
Aug. 13, 2019
This picture shows an aid convoy of the red crescent arriving at the Rukban desert camp for displaced Syrians along Syria's border with Jordan on February 06, 2019.

U.S. Has Legal and Moral Responsibility to Protect Civilians at Rukban in Syria

With the U.S. in control of the at-Tanf region of Syria, both international humanitarian law and basic morality dictate that the U.S. ensure vital supplies reach the civilians…
Aug. 12, 2019 and
American Army members deployed for Mission Resolute Support (RS) take part in an end of tour medal ceremony at RS Headquarters on September 4, 2017 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Army and Marine Corps Publish New Manual: The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare

The Army and the Marine Corps just released its newest publication, The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare. Over 20 years in the making, it provides operational…
Aug. 9, 2019
A French soldier looks at a child as he patrols in the streets of Gossi, center Mali, on March 25, 2019.

The International Security Echo-Chamber: Getting Civil Society Into the Room

It is time to make sure the public fully understands the harmful impacts of their governments’ interventions on the lives of others, and to reaffirm that security can be built…
Jul. 31, 2019 , and 1 more
Side-by-side portraits of Secretary Mark Esper, Department of Defense General Counsel Paul Ney and General Mark Milley.

Revisiting General Counsel Ney’s Speech in Light of New Pentagon Leadership

Former Department of Defense official (OSD) Luke Hartig critiques General Counsel Paul Ney's recent speech on the framework governing US military operations.
Jul. 31, 2019
A girl stands crying at al-Hol camp for displaced people in al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria on July 22, 2019, as people collect UN-provided humanitarian aid packages around her.

Legislative Responses to ISIS Returnees Take a New Twist in Australia

This week, the Australian Parliament is considering new laws that ban “extremists” from returning home, apparently aimed at preventing Australians, including women and children,…
Jul. 26, 2019
Yemeni rescue workers carry a victim on a stretcher amid the rubble of a destroyed funeral hall building following reported airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition air-planes on the capital Sanaa on October 8, 2016.

The Missing State Department Memo on US Officials’ Possible Aiding and Abetting Saudi War Crimes

Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to consider dueling bills on Saudi Arabia. A bill sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), would block arms sales to the…
Jul. 24, 2019
1155156157158159278
1-12 of 3,331 items

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