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
U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, and Maj. Gen. Mpho Mophuting, director of general support services, Botswana Defence Force, meet Aug. 14, 2019.

What Counts As Sufficient Transparency on Civilian Casualties in Somalia

Former National Security Council and Defense Department official writes about upcoming civilian casualties report from AFRICOM, and what will still be missing.
U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Andres, infantryman assigned to Task Force Guardian, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), 1-186th Infantry Battalion, Oregon National Guard, provides security for a 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) C-130J Super Hercules during unloading and loading operations in Somalia on Feb. 6, 2020.

US Ramps Up War in Somalia, Killing More Civilians

While much of the world tries to fight a global pandemic that has already killed thousands, the U.S. military has been secretly stepping up its war in Somalia, killing civilians…

WhatsApp v. NSO Group: State Immunity and Cyber Spying

WhatsApp claims NSO implanted spyware on phones of human rights activists, lawyers, and religious figures. NSO says it can't be sued if it did so on behalf of (undisclosed) foreign…
South African LGBTIQ community holds banner reading "Stop HIV & TB Discrimination #RespectDiversity"

Pompeo’s “Rights Commission” Is Worse Than Feared: 7 Concerns to Watch

There is a narrow window to truly examine how the U.S. government can advance, rather than undermine, equal rights for all.
David Addington, Chief of Staff and former counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney, former Department of Justice official John Yoo and Chris Schroeder, former acting assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel testify before the House Judiciary committee during a hearing on the administration's interrogation policy on June 26, 2008 in Washington, DC.

ICC Afghanistan Torture Investigation Likely to Turn on Criminal Intent

Good-faith reliance on advice of counsel is a well-established defense in U.S. criminal law, but it has not yet been tested at the ICC.
An asylum seeker staying at the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, sweeps the floor on April 3, 2020. Camping tents are pitched in rows.

Coronavirus Border Expulsions: CDC’s Assault on Asylum Seekers and Unaccompanied Minors

Relying on obscure 1944 provision that provides no such authority, CDC tries to block all asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors in violation of congressional statutes, writes…
World flags in front of the United Nations building

The Time has Come to Have a Conversation at the U.N. on Self-Defence

Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Legal Adviser to Mexico's Mission to UN, writes in his personal capacity about an important conversation on international law.
Rohingya refugees, without wearing any mask or any other safty gear as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, wait in a relief distribution point at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia March 24, 2020.

COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access for Refugees and IDPs: Part 2 – Syria and Bangladesh

The coronavirus crisis should not function as a cover for repressive action under the guise of protecting health, especially in already vulnerable populations.
Emergency Medical Technicians bring a patient into Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York.

The Human Rights Lessons from COVID-19: Equality Requires Economic and Social Rights Protections

Minority communities are having to weather the worst of the pandemic. Still, the Trump administration continues its efforts to downplay the significance of economic and social…
A collage of a Sri Lankan soldier, Sri Lankan police officer, Los Angeles police officer, and NYC police officer in face masks.

How Much Liberty Must We Give Up? A Constitutional Analysis of the Coronavirus Lockdown Proposals

The U.S. Constitution allows the federal government to impose quarantines and lockdowns for a pandemic like novel coronavirus, but here's how the due process clause also limits…
A sign reads, “Wanted by the FBI Chinese PLA Members, 54th Research Institute” and shows four members of China's military indicted on charges of hacking into Equifax Inc. and stealing data from Americans. The sign is seated next to a podium shortly after Attorney General William Barr held a press conference at the Department of Justice on February 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. The sign has additional text that is too small to read.

Disrupt, Don’t Indict: Why the United States Should Stop Indicting Foreign State Actor Hackers

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Nicolás Maduro, who the United States ceased to recognize as Venezuela’s president in early 2019, for narco-terrorism…
A sign indicates the presence of landmines on April 5, 2019 in Opytne, Ukraine.

The World’s Landmine Challenge Demands Presidential Action

If the international community can assemble the right leadership and resources over the next five years, the global plague of anti-personnel mines can be eliminated from the planet,…
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