Military

Members of the 7th Armoured Brigade, who have recently returned from service on operations in Iraq, march through Parliament Square towards the Houses of Parliament on February 23, 2009 in London.

U.K. Proposes to Limit Accountability for Violations by Armed Forces

The British government is considering an unprecedented and comprehensive package of measures designed to shield both individual members of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of…

Jan. 30, 2020 Nadia O'Mara

Iranians march across a bridge on January 5, 2020 in the northwestern city of Ahvaz to pay homage to top general Qasem Soleimani, after he was killed in a US strike in Baghdad.

Iran’s Leaders Preserve the Republic With a Hybrid of International and Islamic Law

The rhetorical strategy allows them to address the world and Iranians at the same time, while passing on different messages.

Jan. 16, 2020 Anicée Van Engeland

: Tourists gaze upon the Gate of All Nations at the ancient Persepolis archeological site on May 30, 2014 in Persepolis, Iran.

Trump’s Threat to Target Iranian Cultural Sites: Illegal Under International, Domestic and Military Law

In response to a potential Iranian armed retaliation following the United States’ killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump tweeted that the U.S. military…

Jan. 8, 2020 Mark Nevitt

Heavy smoke billows following an airstrike on the western frontline of Raqa on July 17, 2017, during an offensive by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a majority Kurdish and Arab alliance, to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters.

Civilian Casualties: A Case for U.S. Condolence Payments in Syria

The U.S. military acknowledges it unintentionally killed 40 civilians in a 2017 air strike, but rejects appeals to help those who survived.

Jan. 6, 2020 Andrea Prasow

Side by side photos of a Congressional document labeled, “H.J. Res. 542” and the remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport.

The Soleimani Strike and War Powers

Key Legal Questions, With Preview of a New Research Database

Jan. 6, 2020 Tess Bridgeman

A Syrian Kurdish woman flashes the v-sign during a demonstration against Turkish threats in Ras al-Ain town in Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border on October 9, 2019.

Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security: Vital Lessons

Looking at the failure of male-dominated conflict resolution processes from Afghanistan and South Sudan to Venezuela and Burma, the meaningful engagement of women in international…

Jan. 3, 2020 Ambassador Donald Steinberg

The damaged interior of the hospital in which the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical charity operated is seen on October 13, 2015 following an air strike in the northern city of Kunduz.

Congress Expands Oversight of U.S. Payments for Civilian Deaths

The payments are among the only ways the U.S. military acknowledges and responds to civilian deaths or injuries in its operations, and previous reporting exposed significant gaps…

Dec. 18, 2019 Joanna Naples-Mitchell

A guard tower is seen outside the fencing of Camp 5 at the US Military's Prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on January 26, 2017.

D.C. Circuit Considers Limits on Guantanamo Detention

The court will hear oral arguments today in Abdul Razak Ali v. Trump on the central question of whether the Due Process Clause applies to limit the length of detention at Guantanamo…

Dec. 11, 2019 Patricia Stottlemyer

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018.

Trump’s Aim to Go Big on Nuclear Arms Control Should Begin by Extending New START

If President Trump actually seeks to avoid an arms race, maintain a cap on the Russian nuclear arsenal, and create the conditions for follow-on talks with Russia and new negotiations…

Dec. 9, 2019 Daryl G. Kimball

A woman walks by a crater cause by a car bomb explosion in the town of Suluk in Syria's Turkish-controlled Tal Abyad border region on November 10, 2019, in which Ankara said at least eight people were killed and more than 20 wounded.

Turkey’s Syria Invasion: German Research Report Says Illegal on All Counts

A German parliamentary research report serves as an important reminder that evidence and proportionality matter, and that exceptions to the prohibition of the use of force should…

Nov. 15, 2019 Dennis Schmidt

Turkish and Russian military vehicles return from a joint patrol in the countryside of Kiziltepe town in Syria's northeastern Mardin province on the Syrian-Turkish border, on November 1, 2019.

Germany’s Syria Debate: Four Key Questions on European Military Action

Germany’s Defense Minister triggered a debate there and across the Atlantic when she called recently for greater German involvement in Syria and for the establishment of an international…

Nov. 6, 2019 Muriel Asseburg and Markus Kaim

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the NATO summit, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on July 11, 2018.

Can Turkey be Expelled from NATO? It’s Legally Possible, Whether or Not Politically Prudent

Overall, the absence of a suspension and expulsion mechanism in the North Atlantic Treaty does not prevent the North Atlantic Council from suspending or terminating the membership…

Oct. 15, 2019 Aurel Sari