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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3,509 Articles
A view of the Russian Central Bank headquarters in downtown Moscow on May 26, 2022. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Politics, Not Law, Is Key to Confiscating Russian Central Bank Assets

The political and legal complications of using such proceeds to compensate Ukraine aren't trivial, but neither are they insurmountable.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 01: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House on August 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. Biden announced that over the weekend, U.S. forces launched an airstrike in Afghanistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri, 71, took over leadership of al-Qaeda in 2011, shortly after American forces killed Osama bin Laden. The president said there were no civilian casualties. (Photo by Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images)

What Was the International Legal Basis for the Strike on al-Zawahiri?

Serious questions need to be addressed in order to establish that both the killing of Zawahiri, and the use of force against Afghanistan, were not violations of international law.

Biden’s Weak Stand in Saudi Arabia Could Kick MBS’ Repression Machine Into Overdrive – But It’s Not Too Late to Act

The US could still change course to salvage the relationship, advance mutual interests, and expand overlapping values.

Top Experts Raise Questions Regarding Legal Basis of Zawahiri Strike

A note from co-editors-in-chief Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman: Although Just Security is on hiatus this week, we wanted to be sure to examine and reflect on the U.S. airstrike…

The Tenth NPT Revcon: What’s at Stake for the Global Nuclear Order

The nonproliferation regime is on shaky ground. Experts say this year's delayed review conference offers a chance to shore it up.
A teacher examines destructions in a school destroyed as a result of a shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk region on July 24, 2022.

Latest Atrocities Highlight the Importance of Early Warning

With a new strategy and advances in early warning analysis, efforts to identify and respond to atrocity risks can help save future lives.
A Rohingya refugee child carries water to her temporary shelter days after a fire burnt their home at a refugee camp in Ukhia, in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district on March 25, 2021. (Photo by Munir Uz zaman / AFP) (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Next Steps on the Road to Accountability and Security for Rohingya Refugees

The path forward for Rohingya refugees is complicated, but not impossible. A community leader outlines what's needed: humanitarian aid, international justice, and resettlement…
Tamil members of Sri Lanka's parliament hold placards during a demonstration outside the President’s office in Colombo on February 24, 2022, to protest against the acquisition of their land in northern and eastern regions under the guise of protecting archeological sites. They hold signs in a variety of languages. One reads, “Stop the land grab! of Tamils under the guise of Mahaweli”

Sri Lanka’s Real Reckoning is Yet to Come

Accountability for atrocities against Tamils and curbing Sinhala Buddhist nationalism are key to the island’s stability and prosperity.
(L to R front row) General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo "Hemeti", deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, speaks with council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a reception ceremony in the capital Khartoum on October 8, 2020 upon the arrival of the government negotiating team from Juba where the government and rebel groups had earlier signed a landmark peace deal. - Sudan's government and rebel groups had on October 3 signed a peace deal at a ceremony in the South Sudanese capital Juba, aimed at ending decades of war in which hundreds of thousands have died. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP) (Photo by EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)

Anti-Coup Strategies Should Address Civilian Coup Allies

A robust anti-coup strategy must place the same pressures on civilian collaborators that military coup leaders face.
Image: Right: ANDIJAN, UZBEKISTAN: Shoes are seen on the central square of the Uzbek town of Andijan, 14 May 2005, after clashes between the government forces and local protesters. Bodies littered the streets of the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan as security forces tightened their clampdown and the death toll continued to rise in what residents called massacres. (DENIS SINYAKOV/AFP via Getty Images). Left: The Human Rights Committee during its 128th Session. Credit: UN Multimedia

Overlooking Injustice: A Troubling Formalistic Turn at the UN Human Rights Committee

The Committee has recently dismissed complaints for technical reasons and enforced time limits more strictly - calling into question its role as a last avenue for justice.
A noose is displayed on a projector screen as U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, delivers opening remarks during the third hearing on the January 6th investigation in the Cannon House Office Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC.

January 6th and America’s Ambivalence about Political Accountability

Real accountability requires placing the events of January 6th in the context of ongoing efforts to perpetuate election disinformation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (L) (R-SC) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (R) (D-CT) arrive for a press conference at the U.S. Capitol May 10, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Russia Should Not be Designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism

An analysis of why designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism could harm the interests of the Ukrainian government and the people of Ukraine.
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