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.
3,526 Articles
Fighting to Protect Children in Conflict
When the United States ordered retaliation in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons in Idlib, President Donald Trump spoke of “innocent children, innocent babies, little…
Israeli Airstrikes in Syria: The International Law Analysis You Won’t Find
The United States engages in a one-off attack on a Syrian airbase and within a matter of days predictions of an end to international legal order as we know it are flying left and…
Wallet as Weapon: the Coming US Assault on the International Human Rights System
These days, the Trump administration is not just threatening human rights with executive orders, tomahawk missiles and tweets. It is also wielding the government’s wallet as…
Changes to Rules of Engagement Approval Levels and Civilian Casualties
Anyone serious about combating ISIS and minimizing civilian casualties needs to consider the importance of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) in Iraq and Syria. We offer our thoughts…
On N. Korea: Calling on Congress and the President’s Advisers to Defend the Constitution
For those of us who had hoped Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the president’s national security advisor, would make up for the inexperience and curb…
What’s at Stake for US Officials if Their Use of Force is an Int’l Crime of Aggression?
In an article at Just Security last week, Michael Adams expressed surprise at the lack of attention on these and other pages to the possibility that the U.S. Tomahawk strikes on…
U.S. Military Justice and “Operational Mishaps”: A Primer
As the tempo and intensity of United States military operations increases, the likelihood of operational mishaps increases as well. These mishaps – an anodyne term that cannot…
Making Sense of the Allegations that U.S. Military Struck a Mosque in Syria
There are now two very different competing pictures about whether the United States mistakenly struck a mosque in Syria on the night of March 16, 2017. On one view, based on three…
US Seeks New Assurances from Saudis on Civilian Casualties—but is that even possible?
The Trump administration is reportedly seeking a new set of assurances from Saudi Arabia that it will minimize civilian casualties in its air campaign in Yemen—but would those…
The ICJ Issues Provisional Measures Against Russia on Ukraine’s Racial Discrimination Claims
Russian media are reporting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “rejected” Ukraine’s request for provisional measures against the Russian Federation in the case…
The Pragmatic Reasons For Strict Rules of Engagement
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump voiced his support for deliberately targeting the families of terrorists. Fortunately, he has not adopted this policy as president. But…
The Fog of War Powers
In the aftermath of President Trump’s strike on a Syrian airfield, commentators continue to debate the scope of presidential war powers under the Constitution. Yet many of…