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
U.S. “Confronting” Iran inside Syria: Spoiling for an Unlawful Fight?
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meet during the BRICS/SCO Summits – Russia 2015 on July 09, 2015 in Ufa, Russia. (Photo by Alexey Filippov/Host…
No Winners: How the Int’l Criminal Court Should Avoid Confronting the United States
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda presents at the Fifth Annual Blouin Creative Leadership Summit in New York in 2011. (Credit: Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The Louise Blouin Foundation)…
USG Statement on Int’l Criminal Court Probe into Alleged U.S. War Crimes is Missing Some Things
As states gathered earlier this month to kick off the 16th Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, ICC watchers wondered what to expect from…
Beyond Customary International Law: What Jesner Can Learn From Corporate Criminal Liability for International Crimes
Ed. note. This article is the latest in our series on the U.S. Supreme Court case Jesner. v. Arab Bank, a case that is slated to resolve the question of whether corporations can…
The Problem With Western Suggestions of a “Shoot-to-Kill” Policy Against Foreign Fighters
An Iraqi policeman fires a machine gun at ISIS fighters in Mosul, Iraq. Image: Carl Court/Getty As ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate disintegrates in Iraq and Syria, Western governments…
Episode 49 of the National Security Law Podcast: Interrogation, Detention, Prosecution, and Targeting
In this week’s episode, Bobby Chesney and I pick up the thread on a handful of familiar issues, and introduce a few new ones as well. Interrogation: The topic is a blend,…
How to Fix the US Military’s Broken Targeting System
The recent groundbreaking investigation by the New York Times into civilian casualties in Iraq uncovered a shocking truth for the many Americans who believe the United States is…
Is the ICC Making a Difference?
Global criminal justice is hardly an abstract concept. Just ask Radko Mladic, who was just found guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International…
Trump’s Opportunity to Keep Up with Obama on Use of Force Transparency
One year ago, today, the Obama administration released a 66-page report detailing the legal and policy framework governing the use of military force and related national security…
The ICC’s Afghanistan Investigation: What’s at Stake for the U.S.?
The United States faces a tough predicament: How best to navigate the recent decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to seek to commence an investigation…
Sanctions No More: Slouching Toward Normalization with Sudan?
October and November saw major shifts in U.S. foreign policy towards Sudan, despite the Sudanese government’s abysmal human rights record and the International Criminal Court’s…
Iran Policy Implications of Replacing Tillerson with Pompeo and Cotton to CIA
The White House has created a plan to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with current CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and then nominate Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to replace Pompeo…