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.
3,737 Articles

Reasons to Distrust Intelligence Report on Civilian Casualties
Ryan Goodman is absolutely correct in what he wrote yesterday at Just Security. I have not proved the claim he attributes to me, namely, that “there is a gross underestimation…

A Just Security Debate!—What’s With the Criticism of the DNI Report on Civilian Casualties?
A U.S. Air Force MQ-1B Predator drone, carrying a Hellfire air-to-surface missile taxis after landing at a secret air base in the Persian Gulf region on January 7, 2016. In a recent…
How Trump’s Team Can Use Obama’s Counterterrorism Playbook to Defeat al-Qa’ida and ISIL
The First of Many Challenges. The U.S. military’s January 29 raid in Yemen vividly illustrates the high-stakes challenges involved in counterterrorism operations – particularly…

Tallinn Manual 2.0 – Advancing the Conversation
On Wednesday last week I had the privilege of attending the Washington, D.C. launch of the Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations at the Atlantic…

‘Forever War’ Symposium Offers Timely Perspective on Trump’s Policies
The Columbia Human Rights Law Review, in collaboration with the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute, recently published a symposium edition dedicated to the relationship…

Targeted Killing Under Trump: Law, Policy, and Legal Risk
A recent Presidential Memorandum directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a preliminary plan to defeat ISIS. The plan “shall include . . . recommended changes to any United…
Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law of Cyber Operations: What It Is and Isn’t
This week marked the release of Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law of Cyber Operations, the result of the follow-on project that led to the publication of the Tallinn…

Yemen’s consent for U.S. counterterrorism operations: Questions for the Trump Administration
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Yemen had withdrawn its consent from US Special Operations ground missions in the country, following a commando raid Jan. 29, which…

How to Unmask Trump’s Detention Plans: Ask about the Yemen Raid
On Wednesday, we received news from the New York Times of a revised draft Executive Order that would require the Secretary of Defense to “maintain and continue to use” Guantanamo…

The Trump Administration’s Draft EO on GTMO—Strategic, Legal, and Financial Implications
On Wednesday morning, the New York Times published a revised draft of a proposed Executive Order (EO) concerning the detention of enemy combatants. The draft EO reflects the…

Watch the Tallinn Manual 2.0 Launch Discussion Online
Today marks the launch of Tallinn Manual 2.0, a key text on how existing international law applies to cyber operations. It was authored by 19 international law experts, and Just…

A Just Security Debate!—What’s Wrong with the DNI Report on Civilian Casualties
[Editor’s Note: For different perspectives, be sure to read a response to Gabor Rona’s article by Ryan Goodman “A Just Security Debate!—What’s With the Criticism…