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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3,331 Articles
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and US President Joe Biden address a press conference following their meeting ahead of a NATO summit, at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, on June 28, 2022.

NATO Must Tackle Digital Authoritarianism

NATO must prepare to shape an era of intensifying great power competition and profound technological disruption.
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (2ndL), US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R), and France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe (L) take part in a working meeting prior to a G8 foreign ministers summit, on March 14, 2011 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Group of Eight foreign ministers gathered in Paris to thrash out a common line on possible intervention to ground the warplanes pounding Libya's rebels, among other global issues. (Photo by ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images)

Heed the Lessons From 2011 Libya to Prevail in Ukraine Today

A book by former UN Special Representative Ian Martin offers lessons from a decade-old intervention that remain relevant today.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg inspects an honor guard unit of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Armed Forces, during a welcoming ceremony as part of his trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina to discuss the country's membership in the alliance, in Sarajevo, on February 2, 2017. (Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP via Getty Images)

The West is Shoring Up its Vulnerabilities in the Baltic – The NATO Summit Should End the Zombie Policy on the Balkans Too

The upcoming meeting in Madrid will be as consequential a meeting of Western allies as any since the Cold War.
STRASBOURG, FRANCE - MARCH 26: (L-R) International flags fly in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral on March 26, 2009 in Strasbourg, France. The NATO's 60th anniversary summit will take place in Strasbourg, France and Baden-Baden, Germany from April 3-4. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)

France Looks to New NATO Strategic Concept to Advance European Defense Capabilities

Expectations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid, how France sees bolstering EU and NATO capabilities, and France's posture on the war in Ukraine.
People formerly detained in relation to the conflict in Yemen are transported back to their region of origin or to their home countries by the ICRC. Former detainees get off the plane chartered by the ICRC and reunite with family members.

Taking Action, Not Sides: The Benefits of Humanitarian Neutrality in War

"I argued that it was immoral to remain neutral when faced with genocide and war crimes. .... I was not right, as I realized a few years later while working for the ICRC."
Image: BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - MARCH 24, 2019: A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter walks past destroyed vehicles in the final ISIL encampment on March 24, 2019 in Baghouz, Syria. The Kurdish-led and American-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) declared on March 23 the "100 percent territorial defeat" of the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group once controlled vast areas across Syria and Iraq, a population of up to 12 million, and a "caliphate" that drew tens of thousands of foreign nationals to join its ranks. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Al-Kurdi Capture Raises Thorny Detention Issues

The capture raises a host of issues on detention and prosecution of terrorists in areas where the US does not have a large ground presence.
Nigerian Policemen of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) patrol on the main square in Timbuktu as a woman passes from the left, on December 8, 2021. The carry large guns.

Preventing the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali from Falling into Irrelevance

With the UN Security Council considering renewal of MINUSMA's mandate, are there ways it can better address the range of security threats?

Визначення геноциду та Україна: запитання та відповіді з колишнім послом Тоддом Бухвальдом

Як уряди повинні визначати, коли має місце геноцид, і які правові та політичні наслідки?

Genocide Determinations and Ukraine: A Q&A with Fmr. Ambassador Todd Buchwald

Former U.S. Amb. for Global Criminal Justice explains the legal and policy considerations for determining a genocide has occurred (or is underway) and examines the potential consequences.
Displaced villagers and their belongings are seen along a road after being evacuated from flooded water in Juba, South Sudan on September 28, 2021. Thousands of residents were displaced as rivers overflowed with heavy rain across parts of the country. (Photo by PETER LOUIS GUME/AFP via Getty Images)

South Sudan: The Road to a Living Hell, Paved with Peace Deals

A singular focus by the US and partners on power-sharing and elections to end the war has instead bred famine and a violent kleptocracy.

Hidden In Plain Sight: US Nonprofits As Drivers of Illegal Israeli Settlements

US NGOs direct tax deductible contributions to organizations engaged in building settlements on occupied territory.
Vessels transit in the Adriatic Sea.

Don’t Forget Your Friends: Risks and Opportunities in Security Partnerships

Any policy on civilian protection that lack a robust plan for working with partners would be incomplete. New frameworks, tools, and capabilities are needed to support partners…
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