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
Too Much War, Not Enough Human Rights from the UN Special Rapporteur and European Parliament
Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism Ben Emmerson’s latest report and the European Parliament’s resolution on drones highlight some pressing issues. Most…
The Extraterritoriality of Human Rights Obligations
Following my short post on the extraterritoriality of human rights obligations, and our series on lex specialis and the interface between the law of armed conflict and international…
Ukraine Should Join the International Criminal Court to Push Back Putin
As Russia’s military continues to fortify its position in the Crimea, the government in Kiev could advance its position on the chessboard by ratifying the treaty for the International…
Russia’s 2010 Military Doctrine
During the current Ukrainian crisis, when Russian intentions are opaque, it may be useful to recall significant clauses from the most recent (2010) version of “The Military Doctrine…
Ugandan ICC Fugitive No More? The Hunt for Joseph Kony et al.
Further to our series on ICC fugitives, some reports have emerged that Okot Odhiambo, one of the top LRA leaders indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), has been killed…
United Nations Releases New Report on Drones
[Editor’s note: Emmerson’s drone report is also publicly available on the UN website.] Last year, two UN Special Rapporteurs released major reports on drones — a…
The Political Support and Divisions Behind the European Parliament Resolution on Drones
By a large majority, the European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution condemning “the use of armed drones outside the international legal framework” and calling on the…
The United States Cannot be at War With an Ideology
Testifying to the House Armed Services Committee this morning on the state of the Special Operations Command, Admiral William McRaven said that now that core al Qaeda has been…
European Parliament Passes Resolution on Drones, Targeted Killings, and Fully Autonomous Weapons
In a landslide vote (534 to 49), the European Parliament has passed a Resolution on drones, targeted killings, and fully autonomous weapons. Stay tuned for a post from one of the…
RightsCon, March 3-5, San Francisco
Further to all our coverage of the use and abuse of digital technologies, I commend RightsCon to our readers—a gathering of the Silicon Valley (and beyond) tech community, digital…
State Practice and the Use of Force: Iran Invokes the “Unwilling or Unable” Test against its Neighbors
Can the United States send armed forces into another state to deal with a national security threat from a militant group when the host state is “unwilling or unable” to contain…
Secrecy, Nonacknowledgement, and Yemen
Ryan posted last week about varying accounts of who was killed in an attack on an apparent wedding party in rural Yemen on December 12, 2013. A Human Rights Watch report quotes…