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.

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3,506 Articles

Policy Alert: Iran-U.S. Hostilities Ratcheting Up in Syria

Tensions between Iran and the United States are escalating again following tit-for-tat hostilities in Syria.
Chagossian Islanders and their supporters arrive at the Court of Appeal in central London, Feb. 5, 2007, some holding protest signs, as they prepared to fight a court ruling that would prevent the islanders going back to their homes in the remote Chagos archipelago, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The islanders had already won two legal cases in the UK courts - in 2000 and 2006 - that ruled their expulsion was illegal. Their removal began in the 1960s, after the US and UK reached a secret deal to turn the island of Diego Garcia into a US military base, without local inhabitants. (Photo byCARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

“Inexcusably Inhuman Wrongs”: US, UK Must Deliver Long Overdue Justice at Diego Garcia

They forcibly removed the entire indigenous Chagossian people from the island, and a Navy planner involved later expressed deep regret.
The image shows a stack of Russian 100 ruble banknotes.

Why the European Commission’s Proposal for Russian State Asset Seizure Should be Abandoned

Seizure of Russian assets poses risks to the possibility, legitimacy, and international acceptance of an ultimate post-conflict settlement.
The missiles are aimed at the sky at sunset. Nuclear bomb, chemical weapons, missile defense.

How Does IHL apply to New Technologies in Outer Space?: Expert Q&A from Stockton Center’s Russia-Ukraine Conference

The real challenge in the space domain is avoiding escalation in the first instance, such as by reducing threats and developing transparency and confidence building measures.
Exterior View of the International Criminal Court building in The Hague.

Is Amending the Rome Statute the Panacea Against Perceived Selectivity and Impunity for the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine?

Many supporters of a STCoA argue for a two-tiered approach because a quick fix of the Court’s jurisdictional regime is unrealistic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 9, 2022.

Чим обернеться на практиці ордер МКС на арешт Путіна?

Will the ICC prosecutor's logic behind going “straight to the top” of the Kremlin with arrest warrants be borne out in practice? It would be a mistake simply to chart aspirations.…
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather outside the main gate of Baghdad's Green Zone on July 27, 2022 to protest.

Remaking Iraq: How Iranian-Backed Militias Captured the Country

The U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 brought about a painful and gradual transition from dictatorship to deeply flawed parliamentary democracy. This story is now…
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 9, 2022.

How will the ICC’s Arrest Warrant for Putin Play Out in Practice?

Will the ICC prosecutor's logic behind going “straight to the top” of the Kremlin with arrest warrants be borne out in practice? It would be a mistake simply to chart aspirations.…
The title of the episode "An Arrest Warrant for Putin" with sound waves in the background.

The Just Security Podcast: An Arrest Warrant for Putin

To discuss what the Putin arrest warrant means, we have Rebecca Hamilton, a former ICC lawyer and international criminal law expert.
Russian President Vladimir Putin seen during the plenary session of the Commonwealth of the Independent States (CIS) Summit, on October 14, 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The close-up shows his brows slightly furrowed and his left hand to his mouth in a serious thinking pose. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

The ICC Goes Straight to the Top: Arrest Warrant Issued for Putin

The symbolic, diplomatic, and deterrent effects of a high-profile warrant are the ones to watch for in the coming weeks and months.

Armed Conflicts Spread Contaminated Water and Disease: Here’s How to Better Protect Civilians

Resolution 2573’s implementation will benefit from a better understanding of the links between damaged infrastructure and public health.
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) is prepared for training mission.

The Russian Intercept of the U.S. Reaper and International Law

The Russian operation almost certainly violated the international law obligation of due regard and, perhaps, the prohibition on using force. Nevertheless, the Biden administration…
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