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.
3,736 Articles
Reprisals and the Paradox of Trust: Why Threats of Retaliation in the Iran War are Unlikely to Work
Reprisals demand trust between adversaries, yet they often spark escalation. Their ban under international law is both moral and practical.
When War Crimes Rhetoric Becomes Battlefield Reality: The Slippery Slope to Total War on Iran
Former JAGs warn that threats to strike Iran’s power plants would violate the law of war and endanger U.S. service members’ legal and moral obligations.
Washington Is Backing the Wrong Lebanon Strategy
The U.S. should link Lebanese state-building and Hezbollah disarmament through a political process, not war, to secure a durable Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
“Precision Strike Missiles” (PrSMs) in Iran War: The U.S. Obligation to Conduct a Legal Review of New Weapons
Leading expert on U.S. legal reviews of new weapons systems discusses Precision Strike Missiles deployed in Iran war.
Where the Law Gets Thin: The Jurisdictional Gap Pirates Exploit
UNCLOS’s piracy provisions codified a model rooted in older piracy patterns that don’t match today’s near-shore threat. Today, piracy is a recurring, adaptive threat.
Khamenei’s Killing and the Perilous Death of the Assassination Ban
Khamenei’s killing ends the U.S. ban on assassination and signals a shift as nations may forsake diplomacy, embracing force to eliminate foreign adversaries.
A Feasible Precaution Ignored: AI Targeting Algorithms and the Failure to Recognize Protected Emblems
Ensuring algorithms recognize protected emblems is an achievable first step to protect civilians and prevent future AI-enabled tragedies.
Statement by Israeli International Law Scholars Concerning Israel’s New “Death Penalty for Terrorists” Law
Leading Israeli international law scholars' statement on how new Israeli death penalty law for certain terrorism crimes "violates basic rules of international law."
What the Latest Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Reveals About Global Rights
CSW emphasized that women are at the forefront of combating global backsliding, and preserving their rights remains central to protecting rule of law and global stability.
In the U.S. Strike on an Iranian School, What a Serious Military Investigation Should Look Like
A U.S. military operation resulting in such a civilian death toll as the Minab school strike in Iran demands a credible, thorough Pentagon investigation.
Iranian Officials’ Legal Liability in Russia’s Drone War on Ukraine
A forthcoming report argues that liability extends to Iranian officials involved in providing industrial, financial, and logistical support for Russia's atrocities in Ukraine.
Will the Next U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Hold States Accountable For Their Use of AI?
The 9th U.N. Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy should insist that AI-enabled counterterrorism policies and practices demonstrably comply with international law.