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.
3,503 Articles
Letter to the Editor: Response to Luis Moreno Ocampo on Comparisons to Holocaust Denial
On Monday, Just Security posted a piece by former ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo. In his piece, Ocampo argued against a longstanding critique among African leaders, according…
The Drone Memos—The Book
My new book, The Drone Memos, will be published on November 15. It’s a collection of the most important legal and policy documents relating to the U.S. drone campaign, preceded…
From Brexit to African ICC Exit: A Dangerous Trend
Burundi, South Africa, and the Gambia are not violating international law merely by announcing their withdrawal from the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court.…
Beyond Gitmo: What is the US Going to Do About the Coming Wave of ISIL Detainees?
With the Mosul battle raging and the Raqqa offensive possibly weeks away, U.S. policymakers and government attorneys will be facing a familiar kind of problem: What is going to…
Technology and Autonomy in Warfare: A Consideration of the Issue by the US Defense Science Review Board
A new report from the Pentagon’s Defense Science Review Board (DSRB) provides a useful examination of the technical issues concerning the fielding of autonomous weapons. Unquestionably,…
UK Government’s Disappointing Dodge on Drones
A Royal Air Force Reaper RPAS (Remotely Piloted Air System) at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan- Wikimedia Commons [This post was first published 2:50EDT] The UK Government recently…
The Right to Life as the Jus ad Bellum of Non-International Armed Conflict (A Reply to Lieblich)
An important question raised in a recent post in Just Security is what law governs when a state can resort to military force against a threat from a non-state actor. Professor…
Full Text: “Oxford Guidance on Law of Relief Operations During Armed Conflict”
In today’s conflict zones, from Syria to Sudan, it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible at times, for those providing humanitarian relief to reach the people…
Who is Responsible for the Yemen Funeral Bombing, and How?
The aftermath of a bombing by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Photo: Almigdad Mojalli/IRIN The Saudi-led coalition has acknowledged, after initially denying, that it carried…
How We Read a NYT Story on UN Responsibility for Peacekeepers’ Misconduct
A new Haitian cholera vaccination program. Image by UN/MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi In this post, we’re trying something attempted once before at Just Security. Below, we present an…
Untangling the Web of Actors in Syria and Additional Complexities of Classifying Armed Conflicts
As the international community struggles to find solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, several recent posts at Just Security and elsewhere have offered interpretations…
How to Move Beyond South Africa’s Notice of Withdrawal from the ICC
International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands-Hypergio, Wiki Commons As the dust settles following South Africa’s controversial and perhaps unconstitutional announcement…