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.
3,769 Articles

Nestlé & Cargill v. Doe: What’s Not in the Supreme Court’s Opinions
The Court ruled out extraterritorial application of the Alien Tort Statute. But on other key questions -- including corporate liability, secondary liability, and the status of…

Parsing an Immunity Decision at the Heart of U.S.-Egypt Relations
A suit between a US citizen and the former PM of Egypt raises sticky questions of diplomatic immunity - and tees up a potential constitutional clash between the executive and judiciary.…

The Mladić Appeal Judgment and the Enduring Legacy of the Hague Tribunals
The Mladić case offers an opportunity to assess not only the judgment itself, but also the legacy of the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Toward a True Account of Collateral Damage in U.S. Military Operations
The Pentagon reports annually on how many civilians were killed in U.S. operations, but silent on damage to civilian homes, markets and other civilian infrastructure vital to human…

The Méndez Principles: A Focus on the Exclusionary Rule
To eliminate interrogation abuses, consistently bar all information gained via torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

The UN Has Options Beyond the Security Council for Cross-Border Aid to Syria
Security Council approval for cross-border aid expires July 10. Can the UN continue aid operations without Council authorization?

With Deliberate Famine Threatening Millions, Tigray Demands Greater Action from the US
As a man-made famine endangers millions of lives, it is urgent the Biden administration intensify pressure on the Ethiopian government beyond the sanctions it has already put in…

The Surprisingly Broad Implications of Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe for Human Rights Litigation and Extraterritoriality
In Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court took up the question of corporate liability for human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) for the third time.…

How the Biden Administration Should Take Torture-Derived Evidence Off the Table
In a decent legal system, the government does not ask courts to admit evidence derived from torture, nor does it press other arguments that disregard the absolute prohibition on…

State Secrets and the Torture of Abu Zubaydah
More than any case to have reached the Supreme Court, Abu Zubaydah’s case demonstrates the need to carefully scrutinize what information the Executive Branch can legitimately…

A Pandemic Isn’t the Only Kind of “Catastrophic Risk.” It’s Time to Prepare More Seriously for the Next.
If any good is to come of this crisis, it must be an increased awareness of America’s vulnerability -- and what it takes to prepare.

Opening Pandora’s Box: New “Threats” in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
How should the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy respond to “new threats” of “terrorism"?