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.

× Clear Filters
2,865 Articles
US Secretary of the Army Mark Esper, nominee to be Secretary of Defense, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 16, 2019.

What Did We Learn About Mark Esper and How He Views the World?

From Iran to Afghanistan to collective self-defense, the big takeaways from the Senate confirmation hearing for Mark Esper, nominated by the president to be defense secretary.…
Just Security

Blocking or Aiding Asylum Seekers? The U.S.-Canada “Safe Third Country” Agreement and Examples from Europe

The Trump administration's new asylum regulation attempts an end run around the statutory requirements of an actual “Safe Third Country” agreement. Here's how such an agreement…
A caravan of more than 1,500 Honduran migrants moves north after crossing the border from Honduras into Guatemala on October 15, 2018 in Esquipulas, Guatemala.

“Safe Third Country” Agreements with Mexico and Guatemala would be Unlawful

The Trump Administration is seeking "safe third country" agreements with Mexico and Guatemala to keep Central American asylum seekers from reaching the country - they can't meet…

Congress Will Ignore Trump’s Foreign Affairs Budget Request. Others Will Not.

President Donald Trump’s proposal to make massive cuts to the Fiscal Year 2020 U.S. foreign affairs budget has not attracted much attention in Washington, reflecting confidence…
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is joined by commission chair Harvard Professor Mary Ann Glendon while announcing the formation of a commission to redefine human rights, based on “natural law and natural rights”, during a news conference at the Department of State, on July 8, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Trump’s “Unalienable Rights” Commission Likely to Promote Anti-Rights Agenda 

On Monday, we learned who would be serving on the State Department's new "Commission on Unalienable Rights." The track records of the chair and the other members raise even further…
US army elite team members participate in the 2011 Commando Forces competition in San Salvador, on June 21, 2011.

The Massive Perils of the Latest U.N. Resolution on Terrorism

A newly proposed U.N. Security Council resolution expanding anti-terrorism requirements for member States targets the nexus with organized crime. But like so many counterterrorism…
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Iran's Head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division, looks at debris from a downed US drone reportedly recovered within Iran's territorial waters and put on display by the Revolutionary Guard in the capital Tehran on June 21, 2019.

Self-Defense in International Law: What Level of Evidence?

With the question of whether Iran's actions justify the use of force, the issue of evidence is once again at the forefront of international debate. So, how much evidence does a…
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi holds up maps of the Strait of Hormuz while speaking to the media before a meeting with other UN members on the escalating situation with the United States At United Nation headquarters on June 24, 2019 in New York City.

Iran’s Shifting Views on Self-Defense and ‘Intraterritorial’ Force

Iran’s justification for shooting down a US drone suggests a subtle shift in its understanding of international law.
Members of the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the "White Helmets", carry away a body on a stretcher following a reported government air strike in the village of Benin, about 30 kilometres south of Idlib in northwestern Syria, on June 19, 2019.

To Stem the Flow of Refugees, Address the Conflicts at Their Core

If the railing about migrants is genuine rather than politically convenient, it’s time to apply the prodigious talents, skills, and still surprisingly robust political capital…
Central American migrant families arrive at a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from federal detention on June 12, 2019, in McAllen, Texas.

Top Expert Backgrounder: Children in Immigration Detention — What are the International Norms?

Vice Chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, Felice Gaer, writing in her personal capacity.
Just Security

The Missing Piece in US-Iran Drone Dispute: Navigational Freedoms and the Strait of Hormuz

"Even if the drone flew only across 'international airspace,' significant legal questions arise as to whether its activities violated the rules for transit and what legal recourse…
A Casa 235 turboprop plane with registration number N168D taxis along a runway at Ruzyne Airport April 8, 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Citizens to the UN: Investigate Our “Torture Chambers in the Sky”

On behalf of the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT), a citizen-initiated truth panel, we just submitted a 35-page communication to 10 U.N. Special Rapporteurs…
1-12 of 2,865 items

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