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:
As American as International Law
A Fourth of July barbecue demonstrates how international law shapes daily life, from weather forecasts to global trade, and where that architecture is under strain.
A Dangerous Legal Loophole: Consent is Not Enough for U.S. Military Activities in Latin America
States should not be able to consent to others using force that they cannot use themselves, and intervening states should not blindly rely on host state consent.
The Law of Armed Conflict and the Attack on Kyiv’s Monastery of the Caves and Dormition Cathedral
The strike illustrates a grim pattern in Russia’s conduct of the war – the systematic destruction of Ukrainian religious and cultural sites.
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.
The Handover of AI Standard-Setting
Providers, not regulators, are increasingly setting the standards against which their own AI systems are measured.
Will States Address Disability Invisibility in the Crimes Against Humanity Convention?
Only two of 64 proposed amendments submitted by U.N. member States for a draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention enumerate disability as a specific protected category.
3,705 Articles
Where Did All These Passports Come From? Russia’s Manipulation of Citizenship as Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine
Russia’s "passportization" campaign in occupied Ukraine demonstrates how citizenship policy can be manipulated as a modern instrument of hybrid warfare.
Seeking Justice the Day After SCOTUS Killed the Alien Tort Statute
As surely as day follows night, survivors will continue their quest for justice and accountability. The Supreme Court’s decision marks the end of an era, but a new dawn awaits.
Why Interpol’s Member Nations Should Reject Its New Privileges and Immunities Agreement
The accord would make it easier for autocrats to abuse Interpol’s famous Red Notices and other mechanisms to persecute those seeking refuge abroad from repression at home.
Beyond the Vanishing Point? What the Destruction of Civilian Infrastructure in Armed Conflicts Reveals about the State and the Role of IHL Today
There is a widening gap between international humanitarian law and the realities of civilians affected by armed conflicts.
Deep Sea Mining and the Logic of Contracting Around the Commons
A non-binding U.S.-Japan agreement on deep-sea mining highlights the weaknesses and vulnerability of the International Seabed Authority.
Sudan Has Become a Transnational Marketplace of Violence: Effective Responses Require Targeting the Sources
The most consequential drivers of the war in Sudan are foreign states, private military contractors, and transnational criminal networks.
Blockade and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter
"The U.S. military’s enforcement of the ongoing naval blockade of Iran may have now resulted in fresh violations of the U.N. Charter against four entirely different countries."
US-Central African Republic Deportation Agreement Escalates Attack on Immigrants and Puts Lives at Risk
Congress should demand transparency and require the U.S. government to publicly release third-country deportation agreements, including with the Central African Republic.
Beyond Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Gender, and the Governance of Digital Economies in ASEAN
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is quietly becoming a normative force in the governance of digital economies.
The New October 7 Tribunal and the Legitimacy Challenge of Atrocity Adjudication
The tribunal will be judged not only by the verdicts it produces, but by the institutional model of accountability it leaves behind.
Drones Over Europe: The Prohibition on the Use of Force and Unintended Harm
Russia’s drone incursions into E.U. territory raise important questions about how unintended engagements are regulated under international law.
Collection: Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions
Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.