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
Turkey’s (Latest) Invasion of Syria: Aggression, Proportionality, and Legal Consequences for NATO and Third-Party States
"All States are legally required to cooperate to bring any serious breach of a peremptory norm to an end by lawful means. Conversely, States are legally prohibited from helping…
The German Constitutional Court on the Right of Self-Defense Against ISIS in Syria
German Constitutional Court concludes that the government has a reasonable claim that the UN Charter permits use of force in self-defense against non-state actors — at least…
Turkey’s Actions Trigger All States’ Obligations to Prosecute War Crimes by Turkish Forces
Activating the global system of criminal enforcement for war crimes prosecutions
Can Turkey be Expelled from NATO? It’s Legally Possible, Whether or Not Politically Prudent
Overall, the absence of a suspension and expulsion mechanism in the North Atlantic Treaty does not prevent the North Atlantic Council from suspending or terminating the membership…
The Netherlands Releases a Tour de Force on International Law in Cyberspace: Analysis
The Dutch make a major contribution to interpretation and application of international law in cyberspace with careful legal analysis on topics ranging from sovereignty to the use…
Sri Lankan War Criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa May Escape Accountability Yet Again, This Time by Running for President
Recent developments in a pair of human rights cases in U.S. federal court against former Sri Lankan Defense Minister and current presidential hopeful Gotabaya (“Gota”) Rajapakse…
18 Years After 9/11, Why Is Guantánamo Still Open?
That a child born on that day the planes hit would by now have gained the right to vote, but there has yet to be a trial of the alleged attackers, serves to highlight how painfully…
On a President’s Orders: New Frontline Docs Look at Duterte and MBS
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t pulling the trigger every time a drug dealer or drug user is killed by the police. Similarly, when Saudi journalist Jamal…
The UK-US CLOUD Act Agreement Is Finally Here, Containing New Safeguards
Editor’s note: This piece is cross-posted at Lawfare. On Oct. 7, the United Kingdom and the United States released the text of the long-awaited data-sharing agreement—the…
Contesting the Legality of Internet Shutdowns
As government communications shutdowns become more frequent, legal challenges citing international human rights law and domestic constitutional protections are also on the rise.…
An Overview of International Humanitarian Law in France’s New Cyber Document
France's positions explained - with translations of key text - on important issues like the meaning of "attack" and the application of the principles of distinction and proportionality…
Do Moral Judgments of War Support the Principle of Combatant Equality?: What Empirical Studies Tells Us
Are our moral intuitions about war in line with the crucial principle of combatant equality in the law of armed conflict? A moral psychology study begins mapping out and explaining…