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

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (April 2-9)
United States Lifts Sanctions Against ICC Officials On April 2, President Joe Biden reversed one of former President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which imposed sanctions…

What Are the Stakes of the Upcoming Elections in Benin?
Since becoming the first country in Africa to overthrow a military dictator by democratic means, the Republic of Benin has been a highly stable and robust democracy, widely renowned…

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."

BREAKING: Biden Revokes Executive Order Sanctioning Int’l Criminal Court Principals
Beth Van Schaack lauds the development and puts it in context of other human rights developments.

Renouncing Reprisals: An Opportunity for the Biden Administration
The United States claims the legal right to attack civilians and objects indispensable to their survival in certain situations. Biden can reverse that, and an opportunity to do…

Opportunity Missed: New Zealand Defense Force’s Order on Civilian Harm in Wartime
On Feb. 11, 2021, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced new rules on responding to civilian harm. Defence Force Order 35 (DFO 35) introduces NZDF-wide procedures for responding…

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.

An Alternative to Impeachment: New Bill Helps Enforce Accountability for Capitol Riots
Experts explain how a new bill in Congress helps enforce accountability for federal officials who enabled the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

To Combat Central America’s Bad Governance, Biden Can’t Just Throw Money at the Problem
The $4 billion in US aid will have to be carefully managed, and could be leveraged to combat the corruption and impunity that drives so many to migrate.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session
Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.

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.