International Law

Just Security offers expert analysis of international law and its role in addressing global challenges. Our coverage includes litigation in international and regional tribunals, the process of international law-making, analysis of compliance and accountability for international law violations–including international criminal justice, and challenges to the international legal order.

Highlights:

The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Timeline of Boat Strikes and Related Actions

A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Icons for Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity and Doubao are displayed in a folder titled "Artificial Intelligence" on an iPhone resting on a computer keyboard.

September 12th’s Red Alert: How International Lawyers Should Answer AI Leaders’ Wakeup Call

Tech company leaders' warnings about the dangers of AI demand urgent international legal efforts to regulate artificial intelligence.
The charred remains of a small sedan, perhaps white originally, sit on a pavement in front of a tall stone wall with what appear to be wooden doors at various points along the wall. Clothes hang on a line as if to dry.

“They Will Kill Me”: Haitian Deportees from U.S. Face Fear, Uncertainty

Haitians deported from the United States face the threat of widespread gang violence, poverty, and instability.
A sign for Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.

Twenty-Five Years After 9/11 – and Still Waiting for Justice

Because of the United States' use of torture on the September 11 suspects, justice for the 9/11 plotters remains elusive 25 years later.

The Just Security Podcast: 9/11 at 25 Years: The State of U.S. National Security, Intelligence, and Alliances Today

Ryan Goodman and Tess Bridgeman are joined by Daniel Fried and Nicholas Rasmussen to discuss the enduring impact of 9/11 on U.S. counterterrorism and foreign policy.
General view of the Jose Antonio Anzoategui Petrochemical Complex in Puerto Piritu, Anzoategui, Venezuela.

Questions for Congress on Venezuela’s Assets

Congress should pose the following questions to the administration about the assets it claims to have seized from Venezuela.
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A Syrian carries the picture of his relative, who was killed during the country's civil war, while celebrating after the court proceedings, in Damascus on August 11, 2026. A Syrian court on August 11 sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death after a trial in absentia, convicting him of atrocities committed during the country's nearly 14-year civil war.

Supporting Syria’s Domestic Accountability Process

Despite their flaws, Syrian institutions have the potential to become vehicles of accountability with sustained international engagement.
Three blue-helmeted soldiers sit atop a heavy duty white pickup truck with "UN" on the side in the foreground, as three other "blue helmets" as the peacekeepers are called, stand or work on the ground,, with a white UN armored personnel carrier sits in the background under a large tree. The ground underneath it all is dry red earth, marked with vehicle tracks.

Keep the Blue Helmets Ready — They Are Needed More Than Ever

Member states must ensure that UN peacekeeping forces are prepared and equipped to deploy, mediate, protect civilians, and respond to global crises.
Rows of desks in an arc face a dias placed against the iconic soaring gold backdrop and U.N. seal of the General Assembly chamber. Only about a third of the seats behind the rows of desks are occupied.

As Leaders Gather at the U.N. General Assembly, Competition May Outdo Cooperation

The challenges facing the U.N. include recurrent financial shortfalls and political irrelevance to some of the world's major crises.
The president, wearing wire-rim glasses, a dark suit with white shirt and baby blue striped tie and solid kerchief, is walking from the right of the frame to the left across a blurred background of red earth.

America Sent Them Into a Dictatorship’s Torture Chambers, Then Looked Away

The United States is deporting third-country nationals to Equatorial Guinea despite its documented pattern of human rights abuses.
Kouloglou, dressed in a blue suit and white, open-neck shirt, stands in a street holding a mobile phone in one hand in front of him, as if he is either speaking to someone on it via video or taking a photo.

Tackling Spyware Abuse: What States Must Do Under International Law to Protect Journalists and Strengthen Security

States should treat spyware governance as a top-tier political priority and work toward a binding, enforceable regulatory framework.
The Camp Justice sign near the Military Commissions court area on June 27, 2023 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The War on Terror: A Quarter Century of Unheeded Warnings

The global war on terror demands reflection and reckoning for the damage it caused to human rights and the international legal order.
The building of the destroyed Shajareh Tayebeh primary school is pictured surrounded by rubble in Minab in Iran's Hormozgan province on August 10, 2026.

The Limits of the Law of Armed Conflict: Individual Accountability Should Not Obscure State Responsibility for U.S. Strikes on Iran School

The law of armed conflict is not suited to provide the legal clarity the public desires immediately following attacks that kill civilians.
A woman almost fully covered in a dark blue robe and head covering faces away from the camera toward an opening in a ragged tent, where a girl peaks out as if she's speaking to the woman. The girl wears a gray headscarf, with a bit of orange clothing showing through the opening in the tent.

A Plea from Forgotten Families in Detention in Northeast Syria: “What Will Happen to Our Children?”

More than 2,400 children and mothers once linked to ISIS are still held in detention in Roj Camp and other facilities in northeastern Syria.
Three people sitting behind a dais of a table covered in a white cloth in a large interior courtyard against a backdrop of two floors of arched doorways.

A Crucial Moment for Persons with Disabilities: The Right to Community Inclusion vs. Institutionalization

The Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACtHR) will hear arguments in a potentially transformative disability rights case for Guatemala, the Americas, and the world.
A large crowd gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, raising red, blue and white Serbian flags and banners bearing the image of deceased Bosnian Serb Army Commander and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.

Ratko Mladić Is Dead, Yet Legions Mourn This “Butcher of Bosnia” and Celebrate His Crimes

Thousands mourned Ratko Mladić at his funeral in Belgrade despite his responsibility for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The exterior and the logo of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on March 28, 2026.

The Int’l Criminal Court as a “Strategic Weapon”: Legal Deterrence, Cognitive Advantage, and the Future of the Rule of Law

States committed to the rule of law can use the International Criminal Court to maximize the cost of adversaries' military aggression.

The Case for a German Structural Investigation into Crimes against Humanity in Iran

Experts argue that Germany should open a structural investigation into Iran's December 2025 and January 2026 crackdown on protesters.
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