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
U.S. Air Strike Data from Afghanistan Takes Step Back in Transparency
The U.S. military has stopped publishing important information on its air war in Afghanistan, just two months after deciding to release it. In October, the U.S. began publishing…
The Self-Defeating Absence of the U.S. at the U.N. Business and Human Rights Forum
Just before gathering in Argentina for the G-20 Summit in early December, many global leaders met first in Geneva for the annual United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights.…
Dueling Decisions at the Khmer Rouge Trials Could Mean a Suspect Avoids Justice
Hot-on-the-heels of a landmark trial judgment in Case 2/2, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) (also known as the Khmer Rouge Trials) in recent days issued…
The “ISIS Beatles” and “Non-Territorial” Application of the European Convention of Human Rights
The “ISIS Beatles” litigation in UK courts raises important issues about the geographic reach and content of human rights obligations, in particular those in the European Convention…
Beyond Killing: The Critical Role of Gender in the Recognition, Prevention and Punishment of Genocide
“When we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye. We can act, carefully and responsibly,…
Amid US Attacks, Time to Reinvigorate the ICC
At a time when “multilateralism” is a bad word, perhaps no institution is more scorned than the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose global ambitions, legal justifications…
How Far Can a Rogue Kremlin Push International Law?
The Russian-Ukrainian standoff at the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov shows that the Kremlin now is just ignoring international law. The United States and the West need to adjust…
10 Ways the U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuses
Interpol serves a good purpose, and it has good rules. But not all members are as good as its rules. The U.S. can take steps, on its own or with others, to limit abuses and shield…
U.S. Lethal Operations in Somalia Are On the Rise. But Are They Effective?
A deep-rooted ideology cannot be defeated with bombs dropped from the sky. What is needed is a real shift in strategy.
How the “Arms Sales Oversight Act” Could Prevent American Arms from Contributing to the Next Overseas Crisis
The debate over U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe is coming to a head in the Senate, with a series of votes on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy war powers resolution.…
The Rising Challenge of Funding Victims’ Needs at the International Criminal Court
US Ambassador (ret.) David Scheffer discusses shortages of funds at the International Criminal Court for victims of atrocity crimes, and the way forward.
Uptick in U.S. Air Strikes on Buildings in Afghanistan Raises Questions
U.S. military aircraft bombed over 60 buildings in Afghanistan in October alone, reviving longstanding concerns that these kinds of strikes could risk higher numbers of civilian…