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

Secretary Pompeo’s Surprising Defense of International Law, Allies, and the Law of the Sea Convention
Sec. Pompeo's statement on China's excessive maritime claims is right in substance, but it showcases the schizophrenic U.S. approach to its allies, the law of the sea, and international…

Trail Smelter Arbitration Offers Little Guidance for COVID-19 Suits against China
On June 23, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held an extraordinary hearing on whether to amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) in order to permit domestic lawsuits…

How the Financial Systems America Built Enable Oppression Abroad
Congress may have a new opportunity to tackle this complicity with a proposed amendment to the NDAA on beneficial ownership.

Does Transitional Justice Belong in the United States?
The first piece in our Racing National Security Symposium explains why transitional justice belongs in the United States.

Denial of the Srebrenica Genocide Must Be Exposed and Condemned
Imagine the international outrage if murals of Hitler were displayed across Germany, or if a Berlin student dorm were named after Eichmann. Precisely this type of scenario has…

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…