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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3,327 Articles
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What Law Applies to the Resort to Force Against Non-State Actors? Filling the Void of “Internal Jus Ad Bellum”

What international legal rules determine when the U.S. government can resort to force against a non-state armed group such as the Khorasan Group, if that organization plans an…
Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işik during a U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting at Lancaster House in London, Sept. 8, 2016. DoD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley

Turkey’s US-Backed Operation in Syria Has Created an International Armed Conflict

Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işik during a U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting at Lancaster House in London, Sept. 8, 2016. DoD photo…
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The Terminology of War and the Consequences for Executive Power

Just Security has hosted a number of interesting exchanges over the last week concerning the international and political implications of identifying the existence of an armed conflict.…
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The Strategic Balance: A New US-Russian Zero Sum Game

This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
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Full Text: Saudi-Led Coalition’s Statement of Explanation on Funeral Hall Bombing in Yemen

On Saturday, an investigation team with the Saudi-led coalition operations in Yemen released a statement explaining its findings of the reasons that led to the coalition’s…
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How Retaking Mosul Could Spell Disaster for Civilians

After over two grueling years living under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS), Mosul’s 1.2 million civilians may  suffer yet more abuse when the government tries to retake…

Letter to the Editor from Professor Terry Gill on Classification of International Armed Conflict

Firstly, many thanks to Professor Adil Haque for reading my piece and for his thoughtful comments on it, both favorable and less so. Let me briefly reply to some of the points…

International Law and Proposed U.S. Responses to the D.N.C. Hack

In a short essay in Foreign Policy, retired Admiral James Stavridis addresses recent election season cyber operations against the Democratic National Party that the U.S. has attributed…
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Letter to the Editor: Not So Fast on Calling it an “Armed Conflict” Between the US and Syria

In Tuesday’s provocative entry, “Is the United States Already in an ‘International Armed Conflict’ with Syria?,” Ryan Goodman states not only that the US is engaged…
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The Law of Consent-Based Interventions

In a recent Just Security post, Adil Ahmad Haque asks what legal rules constrain the use of military force by an intervening state acting without the host state’s consent. Recognizing…
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Between the Law of Force and the Law of Armed Conflict

Last week, I argued in favor of the ICRC’s position that if one state uses armed force in the territory of another state then an international armed conflict (IAC) arises between…
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De Facto and De Jure Non-International Armed Conflicts: Is It Time to Topple Tadić?

When does violence between a state and non-state actor constitute an armed conflict and thus trigger the system of legal rules that apply in non-international armed conflict (NIAC)?…
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