International Justice
996 Articles

Recognizing the Armenian Genocide Marks a Historic Turning Point in American Foreign Policy
In a significant break with his predecessors, President Joe Biden formally recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, the annual day of remembrance for the massacres.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture
April 23 marks one year since the start of the Syrian torture trial in Koblenz, Germany. It has already offered some preliminary lessons for future “universal jurisdiction”…

Congress Must Reform Sanctions Law to Avoid ICC Penalties from Happening Again
Reversing the sanctions the Trump administration placed on International Criminal Court leaders is not enough to prevent something like that from happening again.

Full Burial Now Needed for Executive Order Against International Criminal Court
"Executive Order 13928 requires a burial so deep, so final, that never again will the United States, nor any other country, deem it a permissible policy option."

Why Biden Needs to Rescind Trump’s ICC Sanctions Now
A deadline looms in the case challenging executive order 13928, which imposed sanctions against the ICC. Will the Biden administration defend the former administration’s reckless…

On Functional Immunity of Foreign Officials and Crimes under International Law
Landmark judgment by Germany’s top criminal court on foreign officials' lack of immunity in war crimes trials. Analysis by renowned scholar, Professor Claus Kress.

A Tribunal for ISIS Fighters – A National Security and Human Rights Emergency
There is an immediate need to triage a coordinated response to the ongoing detention of roughly 10,000 ISIS fighters and 60,000 women and children in northeast Syria.

UN Human Rights Council Outlines Sri Lanka Abuses, But Demurs on Action
It’s not the robust independent mechanism victims campaigned for, or the referral to the ICC that they deserve, but it is a potential path to justice.

Changing the Narrative on Atrocity Prevention
If the story about atrocity prevention could be reframed so as to categorize it as a “hard” national security objective, it might be possible to help move the issue of atrocity…

When War Criminals Run the Government: Not Too Late for the International Community to Vet Sri Lankan Officials
Developing such a list of individuals would signal to survivors some measure of recognition of the atrocities they have suffered.

It’s Never Too Late to Say “I’m Sorry”: Sovereign Apologies Over the Years
What does it mean for a State to apologize for its harmful policies, violations, or mistakes? What distinguishes a genuine apology from a hollow one? An analysis and catalogue…

When Terrorists Traffic Their Recruits
A full reckoning with ISIS' exploitation requires overcoming politics to understand when someone might be at once a victim and a perpetrator.