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.
3,544 Articles
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.
Official Immunity Under the Rome Statute: The Path From Principle to Practice Is Seldom Straight
Just Security is pleased to launch this online symposium–spearheaded by Professor Laura Dickinson–which is focused on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe…
Evidence Unsealed in Colvin v. Syria
Media are reporting another chemical weapon attack in Syria (a summary of prior attacks is here). Notwithstanding these breaches of an indisputable international law rule, there…
Syria, Chemical Weapons, and a Qualitative Threshold for Humanitarian Intervention
An improved legal framework using a qualitative threshold—legitimizing humanitarian intervention against regimes that use chemical and biological weapons (CBW) on civilians—can…
Just Security’s Symposium on the ICC Afghanistan Probe and the US
Just Security is pleased to announce the launch of an online symposium dedicated to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe in Afghanistan and its implications for the…