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
Beyond Sanctioning Elusive War Criminals, Prosecute the Profiteers
Bidibidi is the world’s second-largest refugee camp. A sea of tents and huts spilling into Uganda from its northern border, the settlement now hosts more than a quarter million…
The Golan Heights and the Perils of “Defensive Annexation”
Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights departs from the bedrock legal prohibition of unilateral annexation: transgressing this norm could create dangerous…
Costs of War Can’t Be Assessed Without Official Civilian Casualty Estimates
A response to Maj. General Charles Dunlap and others who argue that tracking civilian casualties is like tallying "body counts" in Vietnam.
An Insider’s View of the Life-Cycle of Self-Defense Reports by U.N. Member States
Important essay by Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Legal Adviser of the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations, written in his personal capacity.
Diverging State views…
The Mattis Transgender Policy Will Go Into Effect Next Friday
Last Tuesday, in response to a government motion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit altered its previous schedule and ordered the Clerk to issue the…
National Security at the United Nations This Week
Editors’ 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 U.S. Must Forcefully Oppose Blanket Amnesty for Civil War Atrocities in Guatemala
“All the people have disappeared.” So reads a declassified cable from the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, dated Dec. 28, 1982. The subject was an incident that occurred just…
Domestic Courts Step Up: Justice for Syria One Case at a Time
Further to Ryan Goodman’s recent post on the United States’ welcome support for the German request for the extradition of a high-level Syrian suspect, I have just finished…
Less Transparency Won’t Fix a Lack of Transparency: A Response to Gen. Dunlap on Civilian Casualty Reporting Requirements
"Dunlap’s perspective is a valuable one, and a robust debate on the parameters of transparency around U.S. counterterrorism operations is warranted. But mischaracterizing the…
Legal Explainer: German Court Reins in Support for U.S. Drone Strikes
Unpacking the legal issues discussed in this major decision by German court.
New U.K. Border Security Law: A Frightening Response to the Skripal Poisoning
The British Home Office has quietly gone about making it easier to detain and interrogate travelers at its borders without "reasonable suspicion," and with little public notice.
Breaking the Silence on Civilian Casualties from U.S. Air Strikes in Somalia
A new report by Amnesty International documents 14 civilian deaths and 8 injuries - none acknowledged by AFRICOM - in five U.S. air strikes in Somalia.