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.
3,521 Articles

State Responsibility for U.S. Support of the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen
This article is the latest article in our forum on the Yemen crisis and the law. The international law of state responsibility, captured in the International Law Commission’s…

Historic Moment for Liberians: Warlord Sentenced to 30 Years
Above: Mohammed Jabbateh in court. Image: Chase Walker/Civitas Maxima On April 19, a federal judge in Philadelphia handed down one of the most severe penalties ever imposed by…

Treaty Based Limitations on the Article 12 Jurisdiction of the Int’l Criminal Court
Above: An Afghani boy rides his bicycle past a U.S. Navy corpsman in Kajaki, Afghanistan. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) This piece is the latest in our online symposium–spearheaded…

Maybe Dismantling the GTMO Closure Office Wasn’t Such a Good Idea
As recent events reinforce, dismantling the Office of the Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure at the Department of State was not such a good idea. Although obscured by the political…

Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018
Statements, Chart, and Map for every state in the world that has taken a public position on the legality and justification of strikes in Syria conducted by the US, UK, and France.

Brazil’s Robust Defense of the Legal Prohibition on the Use of Force and Self Defense
As the strikes by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France on Syria last week demonstrate, a select group of countries led by the US are asserting an increasingly broad…

At a Crossroad: The Int’l Criminal Court’s Afghanistan Probe and the International Law Commission
This piece is the latest in our online symposium–spearheaded by Professor Laura Dickinson–focusing on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe in Afghanistan and its…

If Mattis Meant to Assert Self-Defense for the Syria Strike, He Was Wrong
Since the United States conducted a military strike on various targets associated with the Syrian government’s chemical weapons program last week, prominent voices in the legal…

The Extent and Validity of Yemen’s Consent to the US’s Use of Force
Above: Yemen President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi at UN headquarters on September 21, 2017. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) This is piece is the latest article in our forum…

Gina Haspel Threatens Intelligence Cooperation: Yet Another Reason for Senators to Vote Her Down As CIA Director
Gina Haspel’s morally indefensible role in the CIA’s torture program makes her unqualified to be the new CIA director. What’s worse, if confirmed as CIA director, she would…

What the Senate Needs to Ask Gina Haspel
Without full declassification of her involvement in American torture and rendition programs during the George W. Bush administration, Gina Haspel’s confirmation hearing will…

Immunity for International Crimes: Where Do States Really Stand?
Under customary international law, government officials, intelligence officers, military personnel, and other state agents generally enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution by…