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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3,769 Articles
Residents obtain water from a natural source from the hill El Avila after the water supply was suspended following a nationwide blackout occurred March 10, 2019 in Caracas, Venezuela.

How to Hold Venezuela’s Maduro Accountable for Human Rights Abuses

The Trump administration's focus on the regime’s corruption, manipulation of the election process, and narco-terrorism omits other egregious violations.
A flooded street in the southern city of Aden, on April 22, 2020.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (April 18-24)

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, human rights, and the rule…
An Iraqi Yezidi woman holds a placard with a picture of victims of the 2014 invasion of their region by the Islamic State (IS) group, a day ahead of commemorations at the Temple of Lalish, in a valley near the Kurdish city of Dohuk, about 430km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on August 2, 2019. The placard reads, “ 3-8-2014 #StopYazidiGenocide”

First Yazidi Genocide Trial Commences in Germany

On April 24, 2020, six years after the Islamic State (IS) began persecuting and exterminating the Yazidi, the first ever trial addressing genocide against the religious minority…
Russia-backed separatists, wearing protective masks against the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and who were jailed in the Ukraine, wait during a prisoner exchange at the Mayorske checkpoint in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on April 16, 2020.

Russia’s Humanitarian Law Obligations to Civilians in Occupied Ukrainian Territories in the Time of COVID-19

An examination of the Russian Federation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Crimea and eastern Ukraine exposes a range of deficits that likely entail breaches of various…
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander, U.S. Africa Command, shake hands as she steps out of a car during a visit April 13, 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Great Expectations: AFRICOM’s New Quarterly Report on Civilian Casualties

A look at circumstances under which civilian casualties may occur in Somalia, why the US military may be under-reporting the numbers, and what to do about it.
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.
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