International and Foreign
2,970 Articles
The Saudi Weapons Block Wouldn’t be the First: Some Past Examples of Halts on US Arms Transfers
In the United States, concerns over the conduct of the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen have grown in intensity in recent weeks amid reports that US-supplied weapons have…
In Turkey, Where the More Things Change . . .
The past couple of months have been tumultuous in Turkey. In short order, an ill-conceived military coup was followed by popular mass protest, the quick return of President Recep…
Trump’s Calls to Pillage Iraqi Oil
In his appearance with Secretary Clinton at NBC’s Commander-in-Chief Forum earlier this month, Donald Trump called for actions that amount to a war crime. Addressing US policies…
How the Risk of an Int’l Criminal Court Investigation Should Affect Military Targeting Practices
The International Criminal Court currently has jurisdiction over the territory and nationals of 124 States Parties to the Court, plus Darfur and Libya, where jurisdiction was conferred…
Fighting Human Trafficking in Conflict: Ideas for the UN Security Council
Slavery – is it making a comeback? There is a growing awareness that as many as 45.8 million people may be enslaved around the world today, and that supply-chains for basic commodities…
Why President Obama Should Veto the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
This morning, the House of Representatives passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), a bill purportedly designed to make it a lot easier for 9/11 victims and…
Senators Move to Block US Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
A bipartisan group of four US senators yesterday introduced a joint resolution aimed at blocking the U.S. sale of more than $1.15 billion in M1 Abrams tanks and other weapons…
The DC Circuit’s Latest Ruling in Al-Nashiri: Why the Military Commissions Cannot Escape the Taint of CIA Torture
The DC Circuit’s recent ruling in In re Al-Nashiri missed an opportunity to clarify an important question in the current US military commissions: when did the armed conflict…
UK Parliamentary Committee Draft Report Calls for Pause in Weapons Exports to Saudi Arabia
This post was first published at 12:45am. A powerful body of the UK Parliament, the Committees of Arms Export Controls, has stated in a draft report that billions of dollars in…
Weapon, Combatant, Child, Animal: They’re All Insufficient Analogies for Autonomous Weapon Systems
Autonomous weapon systems, that is, weapon systems capable of independently selecting and engaging targets, are usually portrayed in one of two ways. Either they are depicted as…
The Vulnerability Equities Process Should Consider More than Intelligence Community Needs
Dave Aitel and Matt Tait’s recent post in Lawfare argued that the U.S. government’s procedure for deciding whether to withhold unknown or little-known vulnerabilities in…
The Law of Aiding and Abetting (Alleged) War Crimes: How to Assess US and UK Support for Saudi Strikes in Yemen
US and UK support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen have received significant attention recently due to reports of strikes that damaged or destroyed hospitals, schools,…