Armed Conflict

Civilian Harm

× Clear Filters
288 Articles
People lay flowers and set candles to memorial

Trump Administration’s Proposed Cuts to Accountability for Mass Atrocities Undermine Its Own Strategic Goals

International accountability efforts are not a misguided moral crusade – they are a core instrument of U.S. national power.
IMAGES (left to right): People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images); A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza City on October 9, 2023 (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images); The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN, holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court (Photo by the International Court of Justice).

Just Security’s Israel-Hamas War Archive

Just Security's collection of more than 110 articles covering the Israel-Hamas War and its diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian consequences.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R) turn to watch a video of a bombing test

What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging

The White House's future BDA briefings on the Iran strikes will likely project certainty where analysis still urges caution.
The Just Security Podcast

The Just Security Podcast: A Ukrainian MP Takes Stock of the NATO Summit and the Prospects for Peace

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko discusses the NATO Summit and the war with Washington Senior Editor Viola Gienger and guest host Lauren Van Metre.
People mourn at the morgue of Al-Awda hospital, in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on June 20, 2025, after several Palestinians were killed as they reportedly headed to a food distribution centre in the war-stricken Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Cumulative Civilian Harm in Gaza: A Gendered View

For knowledge, accountability, and reparation we need to reconceive of the consequences of violence for Gazan civilians as composite, aggregate, collective, and layered harms.
A general view shows the UN High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States at UN Headquarters on June 19, 2023 in New York. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)

Time for Rightsizing: Change is Coming to the UN Counterterrorism System

The UN80 reform process, done well, offers a chance to streamline sprawling -- and too often harmful -- structures to focus on the U.N.’s core purpose.
A Huthi fighter checks the damage following overnight strikes

A Strategic Pivot is Needed for Long-term Peace and Stability in Yemen

To establish peace in the Red Sea region, the Trump administration must invest in Yemeni pro-democracy groups & move away from military force.
Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire in a trolleybus depot following a drone strike in Kharkiv on May 30, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.(Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Trump Seize a Win in Ukraine?

It’s in Trump’s hands to deliver the logic of force: to rally the West, to back Ukraine, squeeze Russia, and set the stage for a win for Ukraine, the free world, and the U.S.
This picture taken from a position in southern Israel, on the border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged territory on May 27, 2025. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images) 

The Illegality of Israel’s Military Offensive in Gaza

Analysis of jus ad bellum with Israel’s stated objectives for its current military operations in Gaza.
A burqa-clad woman sits in a field where a special prayer for rain is being performed by Afghan Muslims, in Fayzabad district of Badakhshan Province on May 19, 2025.

Removing Protected Status for Afghans in the U.S. is No Way to Treat Allies

Contrary to the Department of Homeland Security's claims, evidence shows the situation in Afghanistan has not improved. Deporting allies is unjustified and a betrayal.
Women reflect in dirty water

Justice for Children in a Future Crimes Against Humanity Treaty

States should incorporate child-specific provisions within a future Crimes Against Humanity Convention to better protect children's rights.
A doctor walks through the halls in a bombed Gaza hospital

State’s Program for Responding to Civilian Harm Caused by American Weapons Falls Short, But Should Not Be Abandoned

A well-resourced CHIRG could help prevent U.S. arms from being used unlawfully, and offer a credible response to critics of America’s global weapons transfers.
1-12 of 288 items

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