Diplomacy

Just Security’s expert authors offer analysis of diplomacy and its role in addressing global challenges, from armed conflicts to international crises and more. Our coverage includes U.S. foreign policy, international organizations, and multilateral diplomacy related to critical global issues.

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2,834 Articles
Filipino protestors demonstrate outside the Chinese Embassy on July 12, 2019 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. They carry signs reading, “Justice for Filipino Fishermen!” “Demiliterize West Philippine Sea” “Uphold Philippine Victory in the Arbitral Tribunal! China Out of the West Philippine Sea!” and more.

China, Climate Change, Credibility: Why It’s (Finally) Time for the US to Join the Law of the Sea Convention

The US absence at the table is more perplexing than ever, considering how these issues will define maritime governance in the 21st century.
Diane Foley, the mother of slain ISIS hostage James Foley, stands alongside the parents of slain ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller, Carl Mueller and Marsha Mueller, and family members of 2 other slain ISIS hostages, following the guilty pleas by Alexanda Kotey, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the "Beatles," to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages, including Mueller and Foley, outside the the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, September 2, 2021.

Impact-Based Jurisdiction and Crimes Against Humanity Statutes Are Needed for Effective Accountability

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Afghan all-female robotics team members at Qatar's Education City Club House in Doha on September 7, 2021.

The Last Days in Afghanistan Should Not Deter Biden from Looking Beyond the 9/11 Paradigm

It's time to get off this loop. But ending “endless wars” should not be equated with simplistic solutions.
Norng Chan Phal, who survived internment at the Tuol Sleng prison known as S-21 as a child, looks at portraits of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime displayed at Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh on September 2, 2020.

Crimes of Omission: Why a UN Treaty on Genocide but Not on Crimes Against Humanity?

It is a matter of historical curiosity, and it's time for the UN to reunite genocide with its genus by concluding a parallel treaty.
Members of the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Italian contingent gather in the village of Seddiqine in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre, from near where four rockets were fired towards Israel, on May 19, 2021. They stand in front of an armored vehicle.

Why the UN Needs a Comprehensive “Agenda for Protection”

The UN has repeatedly failed to fulfill its mission to protect civilians. A protection agenda could help it succeed.
The empty courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court is seen September 30, 2016. Curtains are parted to reveal chairs, pews, and the seats for the judges at the front of the room.

Activism and Consequences

A response to Margulies and Azmy.
U.S. dollar and Afghan banknotes in a pile.

Reassessing Counter Terrorism Financing in a Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

The Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan set back decades-long efforts to integrate Afghanistan into the international community. Nowhere is this more apparent than on anti-money…
Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib, accused of crimes against humanity in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives to hear his verdict in the court room on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. He holds up a document or folder to hide his face as two officers in bullet proof vests touch him and move him forward.

Striking the Right Balance for a Draft Convention on Crimes against Humanity

A successful treaty will prompt States to adopt stronger national laws and cooperate with each other to stop atrocities.
The Chair of Afghanistan's independent human rights commission, Sima Samar, hands Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, a document while United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, stands beside them witnessing the event. A flag stands behind them.

The Failure of Transitional Justice in Afghanistan: Impunity Turned Into Law

How the international community and domestic power brokers undermined an initiative and sowed another seed of the ultimate collapse.
A Taliban fighter leaves a building inside an US army camp at the airport in Kabul on September 14, 2021.

Restraint and Values in American Strategy

The necessary post-Afghanistan debate is heating up, and it should be informed by history’s lessons and enduring American values.
Norng Chan Phal, who survived internment at the Tuol Sleng prison known as S-21 as a child, looks at skulls displayed at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh on September 2, 2020.

As the Draft Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Moves Forward, a View on How It Relates to the Rome Statute for the ICC

Crimes against humanity is the only international crime not governed by its own treaty. It's time to formally recognize such heinous conduct.
Representatives sit at long desks for the United Nations General Assembly Seventy-first session, 57th plenary meeting.

How the UN General Assembly Can Respond to Atrocity Crimes at Its 76th Session

It has played a significant role in preventing and responding to atrocities in the past - it should take five priority actions now.
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