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.
3,736 Articles

Crisis as Catalyst: The Past, Present, and Future of International Law
To see crisis as catalyst is to reject fatalism and to believe that law can be both a shield and a compass in turbulent times. #ILW2025 aims to honor that belief.

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part III
Tess Bridgeman is joined by Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane to assess the latest strikes, the brief detention of two survivors, where the campaign may be headed, and what…

Implementing the Gaza Ceasefire
The ceasefire in Gaza faces many challenges and is currently threatened by serious violations. What can we learn from the experience of ceasefires elsewhere?
Will Victims of Cyber Attacks Soon Get Their Day in Court? Options for Accountability for Cyber Attacks
More cyber litigation will appear on the docket as pathways to legal accountability for unlawful State-sponsored cyber operations strengthen.

Attacking Drug Cartels in the Territory of Another State
The U.S. operations conducted to date against suspected members of drug cartels stretch the applicable international law rules and their interpretation beyond recognition.

Governing AI Agents Globally: The Role of International Law, Norms and Accountability Mechanisms
Stakeholders must creatively leverage existing legal and normative tools to ensure AI agents serve humanity — not destabilize it.

Crisis as Catalyst in International Law
On its 80th anniversary, the U.N. is undertaking much-needed reform. Despite pressures, it continues to be one of the world’s most important and impactful institutions.

Embedded Human Judgment in the Age of Autonomous Weapons
A new framework for autonomous weapons shows that real control depends on embedded human judgment across design, command, and operation.

Attacks on Nature, Atrocities Against People: The Case for Environmental Harm as a 12th Crime Against Humanity
Addressing the global environmental crisis requires urgent action, and this new treaty offers States an unprecedented opportunity to confront it directly and decisively.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s War with the Rules of Engagement
Hegseth’s attack on the ROE demonstrates a dangerously limited – and legally incorrect – view about these rules and what they are for.

Some Questions About Trump’s Order Pledging to Defend Qatar’s Security
Trump's Executive Order on Qatar raises a number of important legal and policy questions that merit careful consideration by Congress and the public.

A New Approach in the Fight Against Transnational Violent Extremism is Needed
If the U.S. and foreign partners could strategically deploy their counterterrorism programs to deliberately target a common enemy, all would mutually benefit.