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
3,583 Articles
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Yvette Cooper, and Britain's Deputy Prim Minister David Lammy. (Photo by KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Yet Again: The U.K. Government Mischaracterizes Its Obligation to Prevent Genocide in Gaza

"Starmer’s government likely knows a proper interpretation of the law would require a change of policy."
Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

A Human Rights Approach to Nuclear Regimes: Lessons from the Legacy of Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands

Acknowledgement and respect for human rights can encourage States, like the Marshall Islands, to join and actively participate in nuclear regimes.
Military justice image

US Servicemembers’ Exposure to Criminal Liability for Lethal Strikes on Narcoterrorists

Analysis by former career judge advocate officer and former court-martial prosecutor.

The United States’ Dirty War on “Narco Terrorism”

By Professor Ben Saul, the Challis Chair of International Law at University of Sydney and United Nations Special Rapporteur.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a letter of congratulations as he meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Rwanda Olivier Nduhungirehe and the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner

Turning Trump’s Peace Overtures into Sustainable Deals

The president’s many overseas peacemaking initiatives are more likely to succeed with a more collaborative approach drawing on research.
A general view shows a screen of votes during a United Nations General Assembly meeting to vote on a non-binding resolution demanding "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at UN headquarters in New York on December 12, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

From Peacekeepers to Naval Convoys: Weighing the Options (and Legal Limits) on More Concerted General Assembly Action on Gaza

With no end in sight for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, could the UN General Assembly provide the muscle to support humanitarian or peacekeeping intervention?
A picture taken from a distance shows the damaged building (L) in the compound housing members of Palestinian militant group Hamas's political bureau

Israel’s Strike on Doha: A Crisis for U.S. Credibility?

Israel's Doha strikes could heighten regional instability, intensify Arab unity against Israel, and chill normalization efforts.
US Marines' Lockheed Martin F35-B jets arrive in formation to José Aponte de la Torre Airport

Murder by Drone: The Legal and Moral Stakes of the Caribbean Strikes

If allowed to go unchecked, the Caribbean strikes could encourage additional unlawful executions by the United States and other leaders.
Protesters carry a banner reading "Stop genocide, sanctions now" during a pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels, Belgium on September 7, 2025. More than 200,000 people filled the streets of the Belgian capital to denounce Israel's actions in Gaza. (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Sanctions against Israel: An International Law Perspective

An examination of proposed sanctions against Israel, the legal framework for sanctions, and States’ obligation to prevent genocide.
A man walks through the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes at the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 12, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas militants continues. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

U.N. Commission Finds That Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza: What Does It Mean?

Context for those seeking to understand what it does (and does not) mean for the UN Commission to make a genocide determination.
Flags fly outside the General Secretariat Building at the United Nations Headquarters.

At the Coming U.N. Leaders Meetings: Existential Questions on the U.S. Role, Israel-Palestine, and the U.N. Itself

This year's General Assembly meeting may do more to spotlight the U.N.’s current weaknesses than help find solutions to them.

Striking Hamas in Qatar: “Unwilling or Unable”?

Leading legal expert analyzes the Israeli airstrike on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar.
1-12 of 3,583 items

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