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.

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3,512 Articles
Demonstrators participate in a protest against police brutality on June 14, 2020 in Miami, Florida.

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…
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley, testify about the Defense department budget during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 4, 2020.

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…
Smoke billowing out of buidlings following a coalition air strike in the western al-Daraiya neighbourhood of the embattled northern Syrian city of Raqa on September 5, 2017.

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…
World Health Organization (WHO) press conference

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,…
Aerial view of a market street (with heavily damaged buildings nearby) in Ariha in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province before sunset during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as people who had fled advancing government forces months earlier return to the town.

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.
Protesters light candles as they mourn their martyrs in Tahrir Square as nationwide protests entered a third month on December 6, 2019, in Baghdad, Iraq.

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.
Empty UN Security Council chamber.

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…
Activists in orange jumpsuits and black hoods gather in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California for a demonstration marking the 17th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.

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…
Three people check Facebook over tea and food at a teashop in Yangon, Myanmar.

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…
Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam is seen on a giant screen remotely addressing the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 44th session on June 30, 2020 in Geneva.

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,…
Exterior View of the new International Criminal Court building in The Hague on July 30, 2016 in The Hague The Netherlands.

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…
Police officers pepper spray people next to the Colorado State Capitol as protests against the death of George Floyd continue for a third night on May 30, 2020 in Denver, Colorado.

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,…
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