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.

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3,314 Articles

A Critique of Defense Dept General Counsel Ney’s Remarks on the Law of War

"The law of war applies equally to U.S. forces and to ISIS, to Syria and to Russia. We should keep that in mind when we hear Ney recite Lieber’s dictum, 'The more vigorously…
11-year-old Ehsanullah is standing in a classroom which was totally destroyed in the conflict in 2007. Some classrooms are not usable, this one, though damaged, still hosting many students. But now full of water due to heavy rain and flood last night, students had to vacate the class and use another classroom today. Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan – 16 April 2019

When War Comes to School

Editor’s Note: Displayed throughout this piece, photos by UNICEF-commissioned photographer Marko Kokic tell the personal stories of children whose schools have been attacked…
A damaged classroom following reported shelling and air strikes in the village of Kansafrah in Idlib on May 7, 2019.

A Step in the Right Direction: Militaries Changing Policies to Stop Using Schools

A fragile piece of papyrus dug up in Egypt in the 1970s shows that people have been struggling with the question of where soldiers should be quartered for thousands of years. The…
Paul Ney gives a talk at IDF

Remarks by Defense Dept General Counsel Paul C. Ney Jr. on the Law of War

The General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, Hon. Paul C. Ney Jr., delivered the keynote address (full text below) at the Israel Defense Forces 3rd International Conference…
US Marines salute during a handover ceremony at Leatherneck Camp in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on April 29, 2017.

Post-9/11 Veterans Have Mixed Feelings About Trump’s War Crimes Pardons

In order to better understand how to think about this controversial decision, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) conducted a flash poll this week, with over 1,600…
An empty courtroom

The American Way of War Includes Fidelity to Law: Preemptive Pardons Break that Code

"The news that President Trump is even considering such action is unlike conduct by any President in modern history, and the danger it poses to the rule of law is staggering. Such…
Displaced Syrians, who fled their homes in Deir Ezzor city, carry boxes of humanitarian aid supplied by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at a refugee camp in Syrias northeastern Hassakeh province on February 26, 2018.

Correcting Course: Avoiding the Collision Between Humanitarian Action and Counterterrorism

"When the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2462(2019), aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, it included language meant to protect humanitarian action.…
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 09, 2019 in Washington, DC.

New Legislation Offers Opportunity to Address 2001 Authorization for Use of Force, Amid Fears of War with Iran

Thanks to a new amendment that will be introduced today to must-pass legislation, Congress will have the opportunity to wrest greater control over its authorization of war under…
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to Attorney General William Barr during the 38th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the west front of the Capitol May 15, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Bill Barr’s Extreme Views on War Powers Mean Congress’s Window to Stop War with Iran is Now

Attorney General Barr’s extreme past positions on unilateral presidential power could cut out any required role for Congress in authorizing or rejecting war. Here's what Congress…
Military justice image

Sticking It To Yourself: Preemptive Pardons for Battlefield Crimes Undercut Military Justice and Military Effectiveness

Chris Jenks served as Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2017-2018) where he was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional…
International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and deputy prosecutor James Stewart speak with another prosecutor during the initial appearance of Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona of the Central African Republic, at the ICC in The Hague on January 25, 2019, following his extradition from France on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

ICC Prosecutor Signals Important Strategy Shift in New Policy Document

"The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has released for comment a draft of her Strategic Plan for the final years of her mandate, 2019-2021.…
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk during the group photo at the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East on February 14, 2019 in Warsaw, Poland.

Trump’s Golan Policy and Its Threat to the Post-War International Legal Order

Yale Law professors Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, authors of an award-winning book on the use of force, respond directly to a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Secretary of State…
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