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.
3,512 Articles

Systemic Racist Police Brutality Shocks the Conscience of Humanity, but is it an International Crime?
(Editor’s note: To mark today’s 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia, Just Security is publishing two articles. In addition to this piece by Margaret deGuzman…

DOD’s New Ex Gratia Policy: What’s Right, What’s Wrong, and What’s Next
On June 22, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued an interim policy regulation for providing ex gratia payments to civilians harmed as a result of U.S. military operations. It…

Toward a Consistent and Coherent Ex Gratia Policy for Civilian Casualties
The summer of 2017 was an extended nightmare for the Badrans. Over the course of several weeks, 39 members of Rasha Badran’s family, most of them women and children, were killed…

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 3-10)
(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,…

The New U.S. “Caesar” Sanctions on Syria Are Illegal
The new U.S. sanctions on Syria, which came into effect last month, are likely to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to new heights.

Iraqi Researcher’s Death Adds Urgency to Penalizing Iran-Backed Militias With New U.K. “Magnitsky” Law
Hisham al-Hashimi exposed human rights violations and corruption. The British penalties would reinforce similar US measures and support Iraqi reforms.

Mexico’s Priorities as an Elected Member to the Security Council for 2021-2022
In this essay for Just Security, the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations and Mexico’s Legal Adviser outline the government’s priorities when it becomes…

IACHR Condemns Guantánamo Abuses in First “War on Terror” Decision
On May 27, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a long-awaited decision in which it held the United States internationally responsible for the torture and…

Gambia v. Facebook: What the Discovery Request Reveals about Facebook’s Content Moderation
A review of Facebook’s past content decisions in Myanmar can guide assessments of when the public interest value of election-related content breaches the threshold of harm. Knowing…

National Security at the United Nations This Week (June 26-July 2)
(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,…

Letter to the Editor: There is No Affront to U.S. Sovereignty in the Int’l Criminal Court Investigation
Editor’s Note: This piece is part of Just Security’s ongoing coverage of Executive Order 13928, “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated With the International Criminal…

Less Lethal than Firearms, But Only if Used Appropriately
Sometimes, as in the shooting of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta law enforcement officer, deaths involve police use of firearms. But as the killing of George Floyd has also demonstrated,…