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.
3,498 Articles

D.C. Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc in al Bahlul (and Highlights My Poor Math Skills)
This afternoon, the D.C. Circuit granted rehearing en banc in al Bahlul v. United States, the constitutional challenge to the Guantánamo military commissions’ authority to try…

UK’s Legal Rationale for Drone Strikes Differs Fundamentally From US Rationale
Much of the public commentary concerning the UK’s targeted strike in Syria against a British national who had joined ISIS (along with other individuals with him at the time)…

The Remarkable (and Remarkably Unnoticed) Guantánamo PRB Scorecard
One of the best-kept secrets concerning the ongoing detentions of non-citizens at Guantánamo is the Periodic Review Board (PRB) process being conducted pursuant to Executive…

Charlie Hebdo and Hate Speech: Don’t Prosecute the Messenger
Nine months after their offices were attacked by Muslim extremists, Charlie Hebdo’s cartoonists are facing calls for prosecution for allegedly inciting hatred through cartoons…

ODNI’s Latest Guantánamo Reengagement Numbers Are Encouraging
Earlier this month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its bi-annual assessment of the “reengagement” of released Guantánamo Bay detainees.…

Watching the En Banc Clock in al Bahlul
Just a friendly reminder that the government’s petition for rehearing en banc in the D.C. Circuit in al Bahlul v. United States remains pending… Al Bahlul’s…

Will Filartiga Survive?
On September 16, the Fourth Circuit will hear oral argument in Warfaa v. Ali, a case brought by the Center for Justice and Accountability under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) and…

Just Security Welcomes Alex Whiting
We at Just Security are thrilled to announce the latest addition to our Board of Editors — Alex Whiting. As many of you may already know from his excellent guest posts at Just…

The ICC in Kenya: Institutional Promises and Limitations
There is no question that the International Criminal Court prosecutions of Kenyan officials for crimes committed during the post-election violence of 2007-2008 have been extraordinarily…

When Do Countries Have to Investigate War Crimes?
In late August, the New York Times and others reported that the US Army had reopened a criminal investigation into the murders of at least 17 civilians in Afghanistan in 2012 and…

A Weapon That Keeps on Killing
When the cluster bombs fell on the town of Kaunda in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains in late May, local authorities collected the bomblets that were scattered about and placed them in…

European Countries Are Edging Toward Their Own War on Terror
A version of this article first appeared on the European Council on Foreign Relations website. The United States looks less lonely in its use of drone strikes against terrorist…