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
“Zero Tolerance” and the Detention of Children: Torture under International Law
The Trump administration will continue to run afoul of refugee and human rights law unless and until it stops criminalizing refugees and ends the unjustified detention of children.
In Saudi Arabia, Countering Terrorism Becomes Chimera for Rights Abuses
Saudi Arabia’s drive to counter terrorism has become a convenient chimera to support crackdowns on legitimate public dissent and political or social activism of any kind, and…
Appeals Judges Turn the ICC on its Head with Bemba Decision
Reversing Bemba's conviction turns the ICC's procedures upside down, with extremely negative consequences for the institution.
The Department of Defense’s Report on Civilian Casualties: A Step Forward in Transparency?
While the Pentagon's new report on civilian casualties is a step in the right direction, future DoD reports should include more detail on specific incidents, including discrepancies…
The Technicolor Zone of Cyberspace, Part 2
What did the UK attorney general say about the principle of sovereignty in cyberspace and countermeasures as a self-help remedy to cyber-enabled breaches of international law?
Rogue Satellites Launched Into Outer Space: Legal and Policy Implications
Earlier this year, a Silicon Valley start-up called Swarm Technologies used an Indian launch vehicle to place four experimental satellites in outer space. This was despite the…
Syria: Where Civilians Became a Commodity for Settling Accounts
As long as military operations are seen as a solution to the problem in Syria, there can be no hope for parties to come together to establish peace in Syria. Meanwhile, the civilians…
The Israeli Supreme Court Decision on the Gaza Riots: Factual and Legal Confusion
The Israeli Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the legality of lethal force the Israeli army used against Palestinian protesters in Gaza was unambiguous in its final decision:…
Both the US’s Cloud Act and Europe’s GDPR Move Far Beyond Geography, but Will Not Solve Transatlantic Jurisdictional Conflicts
Europe’s destination approach of cyberspace privacy builds up to extraterritorial jurisdiction Among the many rather general issues discussed in Mark Zuckerberg’s hearing before…
Policy and Legal Implications of European Court’s Ruling on CIA “Black Sites”
A Casa 235 turboprop plane at Ruzyne Airport April 8, 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic before leaving for Afghanistan. According to airport flight records the plane was registered…
OLC’s Formal (and Remarkably Broad) Defense of the April Syria Strikes
This morning, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel posted a formal, 22-page opinion, concluding that the April 13 airstrikes on Syria were lawful.
Can You Sue International Organizations? The Supreme Court Decides to Weigh In
Last week, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Jam v. the International Finance Corporation, that may pare back immunities from lawsuits for international organizations. The…