Armed Conflict
Use of Force
823 Articles
Does the U.S. “Deliberately Misinterpret” the Laws of War?–A Response to Gabor Rona
I recently wrote about problems in the Pentagon’s procedures for post-strike civilian casualty assessments in places like Iraq and Syria. Gabor Rona’s letter-to-the-editor,…
Letter to the Editor: Much More Iceberg Below the Surface on Civilian Casualties
[Editor’s note: Ryan Goodman responds to Gabor Rona in a follow-on piece.] Ryan Goodman makes a compelling case that the United States undercounts its civilian casualties.…
A View from a Syrian International Lawyer: Were the April 14 Strikes Legal?
On April 14, the United States, the United Kingdom and France conducted air strikes in Syria in response to the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma.…
Germany’s Research Report on the Syria Strikes: Unlawful Acts of Reprisal
Just hours after the United States, United Kingdom and France launched the first series of coordinated strikes against targets related to Syria’s chemical weapons program, Germany’s…
US – Pakistan Relations: A Marriage of Inconvenience
This article is the latest in a series we are producing in partnership Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute that features the voices of experts and advocates from…
UPDATE: Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018
Fifty percent more states are added to this database on global reactions to the US, UK, France strikes on Syria last month. What were the international community's true views on…
Mapping States’ Reactions to the U.S. Strikes Against Syria of April 2018–A Comprehensive Guide
[First version, May 7, 2018 with 79 States and 2 intergovernmental organizations] This is the permanent page for the Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018…
What Questions Should Congress Be Asking DoD About Civilian Casualties?
The Trump administration is due to submit today two important reports on civilian casualties—one to Congress and one to the public. Here are the questions Congress should be…
An Opportunity for National Security Transparency in the Trump Era
Hartig and Geltzer--who served in the National Security Council, Defense Department, and Justice Department--examine the benefits of transparency in national security policy, what…
Legal Implications of the Defect in Pentagon’s Civilian Casualty Assessments
Goodman supplements his New York Times Op-ed by discussing two legal implications of a flaw in how the Pentagon counts civilian casualties.
Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018
Statements, Chart, and Map for every state in the world that has taken a public position on the legality and justification of strikes in Syria conducted by the US, UK, and France.
Brazil’s Robust Defense of the Legal Prohibition on the Use of Force and Self Defense
As the strikes by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France on Syria last week demonstrate, a select group of countries led by the US are asserting an increasingly broad…