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.
3,496 Articles
The Drone Memo Cometh
“Severe Clear,” a project by artist David Birkin. Skywriting appears over New York City in a celestial “Glomar” response. For more, see Birkin’s post here. In…
The Legal Basis for the Abu Khattalah Capture
The capture of Ahmed Abu Khattalah was performed by a joint group of FBI agents and U.S. Special Operations forces. A New York Times story reported an official as saying that…
10 Years of Drone Strikes in Pakistan–but do you know whether it’s an “area of active hostilities”?
Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the first reported US drone strike in Pakistan (punctuated by another one today). Yet there is still official silence about a crucial…
U.S. Captures Suspected Benghazi “Ringleader” Ahmed abu Khattalah
The breaking news this morning is that the U.S. Special Ops forces have captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, a suspected ringleader of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya. Government…
Autonomous Weapons Debate: Three issues for further consideration
As recently reported by Sarah Knuckey and Bonnie Docherty, the “Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Informal Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems” was held…
Clapper to Hagel: Taliban 5 return to battle “will not appreciably change the threat” to US or Afghanistan
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday about the prisoner exchange involving Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and five Guantanamo detainees…
European Court of Human Rights Rules on Amnesty and Double Jeopardy
On May 27th, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on one of the more contentious issues in the international criminal law and transitional justice sphere; namely whether political…
Interpretation and Retaliation in the Obama Administration
Caitlin Hayden’s statement last week on “why it was lawful” to exchange five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo for Sergeant Bergdahl, “notwithstanding the notice requirement…
What’s Wrong with a Categorical Ban on Transfers from GITMO to Yemen
As Marty notes, the Senate Armed Services Committee recently approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015. (This will now go to the full Senate…
The President’s Speech, Al Qaeda and the Legal Challenge of the Future
One of the most striking features of President Obama’s 28 May 2014 commencement address at West Point was its “turning the page” theme. The speech sought to look at the major…
Jones: End of the road
Yesterday, June 3, the Grand Chamber issued a notice “Grand Chamber Panel’s Decisions” which notes that a request for referral to the Grand Chamber has been rejected in the…
Stepping back from the precipice in Bond
[Also posted on Opinio Juris.] The Supreme Court has finally issued its decision in United States v. Bond. Although it appeared the Court might be on the brink of a momentous…