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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3,308 Articles
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UK Parliamentary Committee Draft Report Calls for Pause in Weapons Exports to Saudi Arabia

This post was first published at 12:45am. A powerful body of the UK Parliament, the Committees of Arms Export Controls, has stated in a draft report that billions of dollars in…
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Weapon, Combatant, Child, Animal: They’re All Insufficient Analogies for Autonomous Weapon Systems

Autonomous weapon systems, that is, weapon systems capable of independently selecting and engaging targets, are usually portrayed in one of two ways. Either they are depicted as…

The Law of Aiding and Abetting (Alleged) War Crimes: How to Assess US and UK Support for Saudi Strikes in Yemen

US and UK support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen have received significant attention recently due to reports of strikes that damaged or destroyed hospitals, schools,…

Explainer: What Mental State is Required to Commit a War Crime?

What exactly is the definition of war crimes under international law or, more precisely, what mental state is required to commit such an offence? The synopsis below provides an…
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State Responsibility for Assistance to Foreign Forces (aka How to Assess US-UK Support for Saudi Ops in Yemen)

Airstrikes in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition have received increased attention in the last few weeks. In her recent post, Beth Van Schaack noted that in addition to the potential…
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The ICRC Updated Commentaries: Reconciling Form and Substance, Part II

Last week, I left off my exploration of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) 2016 Updated Commentaries on the First Geneva Convention of 1949 by asking…
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Evaluating Proportionality and Long-Term Civilian Harm under the Laws of War

As noted by Alex Whiting in his piece last week, the law of armed conflict, or international humanitarian law (IHL), contains broad principles and prohibitions that are applied…
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Are Saudi-led Coalition Forces Committing War Crimes in Yemen?

This month, Saudi-led coalition forces recommenced airstrikes on Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, targeting the forces of Ansar Allah (known as the Houthis), after peace talks that…
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The ICRC Updated Commentaries: Reconciling Form and Substance, Part I

Sean Watts’ July 5, 2016 post focuses attention on two significant documents intended to clarify “how best to read and understand the law of war” in the 21st Century: the…
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Congress Needs to Press the Pentagon, Saudi Arabia on Abuses in Yemen War

On August 9, one day after the Pentagon notified Congress of its intention to sell $1.2 billion in weapons systems to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-led coalition resumed airstrikes on…
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The Islamic State, Genocide, and Gender Discrimination

Slowly but surely, over the past two years, the UN and national governments have acknowledged that what the Islamic State is doing to the Yazidi religious minority in Northern…
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That’s how many individuals the Department of Defense continues to detain at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base after the recent transfer of 15 detainees to the United Arab Emirates.…
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