This Giving Tuesday, you can help us inform a more just and secure world. Donate now.

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.

× Clear Filters
3,521 Articles
Renu Begum, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo as she is interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard, as the relatives of three missing schoolgirls believed to have fled to Syria to join Islamic State have pleaded for them to return home, on February 22, 2015 in London, England.

The Shamima Begum Decision: What Could It Mean for Other ISIS Women and Children Unable to Repatriate?

The attention Shamima Begum's most recent success before the Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom received might signify the small glimmer of hope the ruling appears to create…
Trump participates in a meeting with Senior Military Leadership and the National Security Team in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington DC, May 9th, 2020.

Beyond Color-Blind National Security Law

"[I]nternational and national security legal regimes have always been steeped in racial connotation, even if rarely acknowledging as much. This raises the question of what a different…
Chin people hold placards during a protest asking for an end to conflict in Chin state and Rakhin State in Yangon on July 13, 2019.

Implications of the Myanmar ICJ and ICC Cases for Non-Rohingya Minorities

(Editors Note: This article is the fourth and final piece of a special Just Security forum on the ongoing Gambia v. Myanmar litigation at the International Court of Justice and…
Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on a screen for a virtual Security Council meeting.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 25-31)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
A Colombian Army bomb disposal expert gets ready to start the controlled detonation of Chilean-made CB-250K cluster bombs May 7, 2009 at the Marandua military base, Vichada department, Colombia.

Treaty Banning Cluster Munitions Turns 10, but Without the US

This November, Switzerland will convene the milestone Second Review Conference for the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Lausanne, but the U.S. is likely to be absent, as usual.
A spaceship in space.

A Threat or A Warning: Russia’s Weapons Testing in Space

Are there rules governing the use of weapons in space? A well-established framework of international law centered on the Outer Space Treaty (OST), to which all major spacefaring…
The ICC seal on a window at the International Criminal Court Building in The Hague. The windows act as mirrors, reflecting more of the ICC complex across from it.

Can the International Criminal Court Hold the Trump Administration in Contempt?

On June 11, President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing the imposition of sanctions targeting International Criminal Court officials. This article assesses the…
Protesters from the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) hold a demonstration in front of the World Bank's Headquarters in Washington DC, on December 20, 2019, to protest the World Banks $50 Million Funding of Chinese Vocational Training Centers where Uyghurs are being held involuntarily.

U.S. and Multilateral Policy Options to Address Abuses Against Uyghurs in Xinjiang

(Editor’s Note: This is the second of two articles discussing human rights violations against China’s Uyghur population. The first article, by Lisa Reinsberg, discusses the…
Mothers form the front line of a protest march toward Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.

U.N. Human Rights Committee General Comment No. 37 on Freedom of Assembly: An Excellent and Timely Contribution

General Comment No. 37 by the U.N. Human Rights Committee, the treaty body monitoring compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), was released…
Cristof Heyns

Interview with Christof Heyns: Major New UN Comment on Right of Peaceful Assembly

Podcast and transcript of interview with United Nations Human Rights Committee's Heyns. Topics include use of plain clothed law enforcement officers, teargas, and more.
Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand on a hillside at Maydan Shahr in Wardak province, west of Kabul on September 26, 2008.

Legally Available Options: A Case for Indicting Russian Officers for Providing Material Support to the Taliban

Missing from analyses of potential responses to Russian operations in Afghanistan is the possibility of an indictment against the G.R.U. officers involved.
A Uyghur woman holds a child in her home as they prepare food during the Corban Festival on September 12, 2016 in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province, China.

China’s Forced Sterilization of Uyghur Women Violates Clear International Law

As new evidence emerges of the Chinese government’s forcible sterilization of Uyghur women, communities around the world are sure to recognize elements of a familiar pattern.
1-12 of 3,521 items

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