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
Just Security

Cooking the WMD Books: Politicizing the 2019 State Department Compliance Report

"I know. I used to work in State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance and then in the Office of the Under Secretary responsible for this report.…
Jun. 5, 2019
Fully veiled women and children walk in the northern Kuridish-Syrian city of Qamishli as Uzbek women and children linked to the Islamic State group are handed over to diplomats from the Central Asian country for repatriation, on May 29, 2019.

Time to Bring Women and Children Home from Iraq and Syria

Kazakhstan proves that bringing home the women and children stranded in Iraq and Syria is possible for all countries facing the problem.
Jun. 4, 2019
US National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit in New York on September 25, 2018.

Bolton’s Stated Predicate for War With Iran Doesn’t Work

"Bolton has repeatedly threatened that Iran’s support for its 'proxies' could bring 'a very strong response'—even military force. By threatening military action against Iran…
May 31, 2019
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir waves a walking stick as he rides in the back of a pickup truck in an advancing motorcade in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, on September 21, 2017.

Understanding the Decision to Revive the Sudanese Genocide Lawsuit Against BNP Paribas

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a lawsuit brought by victims of genocide in Sudan against the French mega-bank can proceed.
May 30, 2019
People look at the Malvinas Islands Monument on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the 1982 South Atlantic war between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, some 3100 km south of Buenos Aires, on April 1, 2012.

The Malvinas as a Post-Bellum Case Study: From Decolonization to the Memory of the Departed

After the International Court of Justice's Chagos opinion, the right to self-determination remains contested. But Malvinas is also a model for post-bellum diplomacy. What does…
May 30, 2019

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…
May 29, 2019
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…
May 29, 2019 and
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…
May 28, 2019
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…
May 28, 2019
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…
May 24, 2019
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…
May 24, 2019 , and 1 more
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.…
May 23, 2019 and
1158159160161162278
1-12 of 3,331 items

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