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.

× Clear Filters
3,332 Articles

The Extent and Validity of Yemen’s Consent to the US’s Use of Force

Above: Yemen President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi at UN headquarters on September 21, 2017.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) This is piece is the latest article in our forum…

The Legality of Using Force to Deter Chemical Warfare

We should not be asking whether the missile strikes against Syria's chemical weapons program represent a lawful humanitarian intervention. Instead, we should be asking if – and…

Corker’s Proposal Hands Trump A Dangerous, Open-Ended War Authorization

While the media is focused on the Trump administration’s strikes against Syria, there’s another effort to entrench and expand the U.S. global war posture that’s getting less…

The Real “Red Line” Behind Trump’s April 2018 Syria Strikes

Former State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh writes that strikes on Syria could be legal, but key unanswered factual questions remain about April's operation. What's also missing…

Bad Legal Arguments for the Syria Strikes

There is no apparent domestic or international legal authority for the airstrikes conducted in Syria on April 14.

“A Troubled Place”—Trump Doubles Down on Syria…While Also Giving Up On It

Former NSC official, Joshua Geltzer writes, "for Trump to double down on America’s mission in Syria by committing to a sustained counter-chemical weapons campaign while at the…

Kurdish-Held Detainees in Syria Are Not in a “Legal Gray Area”

Kurdish troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in a forward operating base overlooking the frontline near the ISIL-held town of Hole in Rojava, Syria. (Photo by John Moore/Getty…

Is the United States a Party to the Conflict Between the Saudi-Led Coalition and the Houthis?

Photo: A U.S.-made Saudi F-15. Image: Meteb Ali via Wikimedia Commons. This is piece is the latest article in our forum on the Yemen crisis and the law. Under international law,…

Uncomplimentary Complementarity and the Int’l Criminal Court’s Afghanistan Probe

Above: US military facilities at Bagram airfield, Afghanistan. Image: DoD This piece is the latest in our online symposium–spearheaded by Professor Laura Dickinson–focusing…

Paying Attention to Land Rights in Syria Negotiations

As President Donald Trump ponders his response to yet another chemical weapons attack in Syria, advisers and commentators alike are mired in short-term calculations. But one day…

The High Hurdle for Aiding and Abetting Unlawful Attacks in Yemen

This is piece is the the latest article in our forum on the Yemen crisis and the law. The Alien Torts Statute (ATS), a jurisdictional statute that allows non-U.S. citizens to…

The Downsides of Bombing Syria

Air strikes would raise very serious legal and practical concerns.
1-12 of 3,332 items

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