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A relative of Ezmarai Ahmadi on September 18, 2021, inspecting the debris of a destroyed vehicle that was damaged in a US drone strike in the Kwaja Burga neighbourhood of Kabul.

The Overhyping of Over the Horizon

It might represent the only option for the US on terrorist threats from Afghanistan, but it will be brute, imperfect military force.
A person with a dog walks in the snow near the DEW line (Defensive Early Warning Line) station near Kaktovik, Alaska, once part of an early warning radar system established by the US military to watch for nuclear bombers and missiles coming in from the Soviet Union.

The Role of Nuclear Weapons: Why Biden Should Declare a Policy of No First Use

With the administration preparing its Nuclear Posture Review, such a declaration would significantly reduce the risks of nuclear war.
Afghan residents and family members of the victims gather next to a damaged vehicle inside a house, day after a US drone airstrike in Kabul on August 30, 2021.

Questions to Investigate U.S. Drone Strike in Kabul: An Alleged Killing of 10 Civilians

We drafted dozens of specific questions for Congress, reporters, and investigators to ask.
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

Paradigm Shift: The Consequences of Choosing a War Path, and Leaving It

We owe it to the next generation to grapple now with the consequences of remaining at war -- as well as the consequences of choosing not to be -- lest we find ourselves reflexively…
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

The Forever War on the Homefront

Military families have lived with the direct impact of “forever wars” for 20 years and will continue to do so for a lifetime. War is not something you can take off and hang…
A Yemeni man looks at graffiti protesting against US drone strikes on September 19, 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Embedding Gender in International Humanitarian Law: Is Artificial Intelligence Up to the Task?

The laws of war can sanction uses of force with gendered consequences. Encoding IHL principles into AI systems may reinforce - or correct for - these disparate impacts.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), flanked by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), speaks after the Senate voted to withdraw support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, in the Senate TV studio at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on December 13, 2018.

A Giant Step Forward for War Powers Reform

The bipartisan National Security Powers Act is a bold set of necessary and mutually reinforcing war powers reforms that would finally reset the balance of power between the political…
A US Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile stands on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport on June 13, 2010.

Extraterritorial Counterterrorism: Policymaking v. Law

The Biden administration's counterterrorism policy review is a crucial moment to evaluate the role of law versus policy and an opportunity to narrow the scope of the “ongoing…
A pillar of smoke rises among destroyed buildings after a US-led airstrike in Mosul. July 9, 2017

Toward a True Account of Collateral Damage in U.S. Military Operations

The Pentagon reports annually on how many civilians were killed in U.S. operations, but silent on damage to civilian homes, markets and other civilian infrastructure vital to human…
An Ehiopian woman, who fled the Ethiopia's Tigray conflict as a refugee, sits on a water container at Um Raquba refugee camp in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on December 1, 2020. Other refugees walk or stand nearby, some also carrying water containers. The sun crosses the horizon in the background casting the people in the photo as silhouettes.

With Deliberate Famine Threatening Millions, Tigray Demands Greater Action from the US

As a man-made famine endangers millions of lives, it is urgent the Biden administration intensify pressure on the Ethiopian government beyond the sanctions it has already put in…
A flag waves in front of the U.S. Capitol building.

Biden’s Support of 2002 AUMF Repeal: The Start of a Long Overdue Conversation

On Monday, President Joe Biden, like President Obama two terms before him, officially embraced repeal of the outdated 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force with a Statement…
Officials inspect the damaged Karbala airport in the Iraqi shrine city, one of the areas targeted by US military air strikes. March 13, 2020

A Legacy of Unrecognized Harm: DoD’s 2020 Civilian Casualties Report 

The Pentagon report appears to defy the congressional requirement to report on civilian casualties “that were confirmed, or reasonably suspected, to have resulted in civilian…
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