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 woman wears a mask and holds a banner reading "Chemical massacre in Syria" on August 28, 2013 outside the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, during a demonstration against the mass killings in Syria. The poster also shows photos of children that died.

What is a War Crime?

A substantive approach to defining "war crimes" as serious violations of international humanitarian law could help bring a measure of justice in Syria and beyond.
Attorney General nominee William Barr (C) is sworn in prior to testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee January 15, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Barr’s Playbook: He Misled Congress When Omitting Parts of Justice Dep’t Memo in 1989

When Bill Barr was head of Office of Legal Counsel, he gave Congress the legal conclusions and reasoning of an important Justice Department memo but left out major portions of…
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir delivers a speech to the nation on February 22, 2019, at the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum.

Julian Assange and Omar al-Bashir: What Comes Next for Two Global Fugitives?

Yesterday was a breathtaking one for global criminal justice. First, British police arrested Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London and then, just hours later, the…
United Nations Security Council meeting on January 25, 2019 at the United Nations in New York.

National Security at the United Nations This Week

The ICC rejects prosecutor Bensouda's request to open an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan, the UN calls for a ceasefire amid escalations in Libya, and Sudanese President…
Sudanese anti-regime demonstrators, holding up a banner calling for "Freedom, Peace and Justice" carry on with their protest on April 11, 2019 in the area around the army headquarters in Sudan's capital Khartoum.

Ouster of Sudan’s Bashir Is Only the Beginning

After 30 years in power, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir is finally out. But the coming days, weeks, and months will be precarious: concerns over the military takeover, a proliferation…
Assyrian Christians, who had fled the unrest in Syria and Iraq, attend a prayer for the 220 Assyrian Christians abducted by Islamic State group jihadists from villages in northeastern Syria in recent days, at the Saint Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, northeast of the Lebanese capital Beirut on February 26, 2015. One person holds a sign reading, “Assyrian Genocide 1915 Never Again!”

Accountability for War Crimes in Syria: The “Criminalization” Confusion

A new approach to defining what constitutes a "war crime" is needed to ensure domestic courts can provide accountability for war crimes committed in Syria.
U.S. Soldiers stand in formation during a logistics course graduation ceremony.

Transparency on Civilian Harm in Somalia Matters – Not Just to Americans

"Under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, much of the commentary on the use of lethal force in counterterrorism operations has focused on the importance of transparency…
Sri Lankan Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa rides in a jeep with military officers during a Victory Day parade rehearsal in Colombo on May 17, 2013.

BREAKING: Sri Lankan Presidential Hopeful Sued in Federal Court for Human Rights Violations

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sued in federal court in the Central District of California by a Canadian citizen who alleges he was detained and tortured from 2007-2010 by the Terrorism…
Truman next to a newspaper with the headline, "Truman orders U.S. air and sea forces to support South Korea.”

The Limited War Powers Precedent of the Korean “Police Action”

In a recent piece in the Washington Post, Professor Mary Dudziak drew attention to the Executive Branch’s continued reliance upon President Truman’s police action on the Korean…
Two men walk near the Paloch oil fields in Upper Nile State, the site of an oil complex and key crude oil processing facility in the north of the country near the border with Sudan. March 2, 2014

Beyond Sanctioning Elusive War Criminals, Prosecute the Profiteers

Bidibidi is the world’s second-largest refugee camp. A sea of tents and huts spilling into Uganda from its northern border, the settlement now hosts more than a quarter million…
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu show members of the media the proclamation Trump signed on recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights after a meeting outside the West Wing of the White House March 25, 2019 in Washington, DC.

The Golan Heights and the Perils of “Defensive Annexation”

Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights departs from the bedrock legal prohibition of unilateral annexation: transgressing this norm could create dangerous…
Graffiti showing a US drone is depicted on a wall to protest against US drone strikes on September 19, 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Costs of War Can’t Be Assessed Without Official Civilian Casualty Estimates

A response to Maj. General Charles Dunlap and others who argue that tracking civilian casualties is like tallying "body counts" in Vietnam.
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