International and Foreign

This photo taken on September 12, 2019 shows people walking next to a Uighur cemetery in Shayar in the region of Xinjiang.

The 116th Congress’s Record on International Human Rights: The Good, the Bad, and the Unfinished Business

Action and inaction on Uyghurs, Yemen, the Rohingya, asylum seekers, Venezuela, and more highlight the crises facing the next Congress.

Oct. 19, 2020 Joanne Lin

An Azeri soldier walks near a destroyed vehicle in the city of Jabrayil, where Azeri forces regained control during the fighting with Armenia over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on October 16, 2020.

Absence of US Diplomacy on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Risks a Wider War

If the war were limited to Azerbaijan and Armenia, the world might be forgiven for sitting this out. But Turkey, Russia, Iran and others are in deep, too.

Oct. 17, 2020 Timur R. Nersesov

An armed villager arrives at a neighbor’s home destroyed by shelling following an overnight attack during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Martakert region on October 15, 2020.

Turkey Fuels Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Drones, Mercenaries and Dreams of Imperial Resurgence

Turkey’s wide-ranging political and military support for the Azeri attack reflects President Erdoğan’s bellicose approach to solving problems in the region.

Oct. 16, 2020 Dror Zeevi

Kashmiri women journalists hold placards as they protest against the continued communication blockade by the Indian authorities after the revocation of special status of Kashmir on October 3, 2019 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Signs read, “End communication blockade,” “End information clampdown,” “End communication blockade in Kashmir,” and “Communication blockade 60 days and counting…”

Amnesty International Calls for India to Lift Account Freeze to Resume Vital Human Rights Work

Senior US officials traveling to India this month should urge the immediate lifting of the account freeze and press India to guarantee rights of civil society organizations to…

Oct. 10, 2020 Joanne Lin

An Iranian woman walks past a currency exchange shop in the capital Tehran, on April 24, 2019.

New Financial Sector Sanctions will Eviscerate Humanitarian Trade with Iran

A basic understanding of the legal landscape of U.S. sanctions makes clear that sanctioning the rest of Iran’s financial sector will carry significant consequences for the Iranian…

Oct. 9, 2020 Shahrzad Noorbaloochi

Ukrainian journalist and member of parliament Serhiy Leshchenko holds papers in front of a screen displaying a picture of Donald Trump's presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort during a press conference in Kiev on August 19, 2016.

Manafort and His Ukraine Patron: “FinCEN Files” Further Illustrate Gaping Holes in Oversight

Leaked documents in a global news investigation reveal suspicious transactions and business practices that undermine US interests.

Oct. 5, 2020 Ian J. Lynch

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.

Online Symposium on Civilian Casualties: The Law of Prevention and Response

An important symposium series, “Civilian Casualties: The Law of Prevention and Response,” is kicking off on Wednesday (September 30) at noon EDT.

Sep. 29, 2020 Todd Buchwald

Members of the Oromo Ethiopian community in the US demonstrate in Washington DC, on July 17, 2020, in support the Oromo minority in Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Democracy Veers Off Track: What’s at Stake

Meaningful security and economic partnership with the US requires a stability that is authentic, sustainable, consensus-driven, and democratic.

Sep. 28, 2020 Seenaa Jimjimo

Boys lay on top of one another at an overcrowded Juveniles’ cell at Tal Kayf prison in April 2019.

How to Answer Iraq’s Failure to Put a Stop to Torture

Parliament should ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Short of that, Prime Minister al-Kadhimi can take action.

Sep. 16, 2020 Belkis Wille

France's president Emmanuel Macron (L) and Chad's president Idriss Deby shake hands as they hold a press conference at the presidential palace in N'Djamena, on December 23, 2018.

Chad’s Counterterrorism Support Abroad Drives Repression and Discontent at Home

The international community should ensure Chad’s military participation in countering terrorism does not come at the expense of freedoms for its citizens.

Sep. 10, 2020 Eugène Le-Yotha Ngartebaye

Trump and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales at the South Portico of the White House on December 17, 2019 in Washington, DC.

The Disturbing Links in Trump’s Transactional Foreign Policy: A New Post-Mortem on Guatemala’s Impunity Commission

It’s a riveting — if demoralizing — quid pro quo story, and proof positive of the way corruption begets corruption and autocrats find solace in each other.

Sep. 10, 2020 Beth Van Schaack

Italian marines Massimiliano Latorre (C) and Salvatore Girone (L) arrive with Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli (R) at Ciampino airport near Rome, on December 22, 2012.

Part 2 – Tanker, Jailer, Soldier, Sailor: Functional Immunity and the Enrica Lexie Award

At the heart of the Enrica Lexie dispute-- a clash between an Italian tanker and an Indian fishing boat-- lies a question of jurisdictional immunity: was India barred from exercising…

Sep. 8, 2020 Aurel Sari