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.
3,695 Articles
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.
Revisiting the Mladić Trial Amidst Trump Admin’s Attacks on International Criminal Justice
International criminal justice has hit a rough patch. The work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is under regular attack from the Trump administration, which opposes the…
Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations
Retired General Charlie Dunlap writes that partial transparency on civilian casualty reports may be worse than none.
Arbitrary Detention of Asylum Seekers Perpetuates the Torture of Family Separation
Abitrary detention of asylum seekers - itself a violation of international human rights law - must be ended in order to resolve the horror of family separation at the border.
National Security at the United Nations This Week
North Korea is evading UN sanctions, DRC violence could amount to crimes against humanity, calls for a Security Council referral to the ICC of the situation in Myanmar, China prevents…
Letter to the Editor – Germany’s Extradition Request for Gen. Jamil Hassan, with U.S. Support
I very much appreciate Just Security’s bringing to your readers’ attention the German extradition request to Lebanon for Syria’s General Jamil Hassan, who is under suspicion…
Reflecting on the Civilian Casualty Executive Order: What Was Lost and What Can Now Be Gained
What information did the public just lose with Trump's decision, and what can Congress do beyond just restoring it? Civilian casualties in wartime reporting and minimization.
The US-Philippines Defense Treaty and the Pompeo Doctrine on South China Sea
A major statement by Sec. Mike Pompeo on U.S. coming to the military defense of the Philippines against China. A legal expert explains the implications.
Citizenship-Stripping and ISIS Members: The Recent UK Experience
A framework for understanding when governmental action violates the law against rendering someone stateless. The case of Shamima Begum.
I Helped Write the Exec Order on Public Reporting of Lethal Operations. Here’s What Trump Has Undone.
"Multiple press accounts have cited some of the key problems with the rescission, the backlash from transparency advocates, and why, unsurprisingly, the Trump administration has…