International and Foreign
2,969 Articles
ISIL = Genocide?
As we have discussed, the United States has launched further military action in Iraq. These operations follow limited airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant…
Australia’s collateral damage in the US drone program
In the last few years there has been a hotly contested global debate about the civilian impact of the U.S. drone strike program and its moral and legal justifications. Despite…
The National Security Implications of Pakistan’s Latest Political Crisis
Once again, Pakistan is suffering from a self-induced political crisis. For days, street protests led by opposition politicians Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri have paralyzed Islamabad…
Official Act Immunity and the Singh Case
At Lawfare, John Bellinger has commented on Judge Boasberg’s August 19 ruling that former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is immune from suit for human rights abuses in…
Letter to the Editor: A Reply to David Golove on Iran
David Golove makes a compelling argument as to why a recent Senate bill – the Iran Nuclear Negotiations Act of 2014 – would have the “perverse” effect of strengthening…
UN Disarmament Board: New proposals to improve drone strike transparency and accountability
A new report of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (full text) contains a number of recommendations related to both autonomous weapons and current…
James Foley and the Hostage Act
Some commentators have suggested that the newly disclosed special forces operation to rescue James Foley may have lacked congressional authorization, thereby further underscoring…
Attacks on Journalists a War Crime
According to a trophy video initially posted on YouTube but since removed, U.S. Journalist Jim Foley was beheaded by ISIS yesterday, further attesting to the group’s depravity.…
What the UK Government’s Remarks Say about US Mission in Iraq
In a burst of information, British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Defense Secretary Michael Fallon have begun to describe in more detail the British military mission in Iraq…
The Weapons Piece of the Proportionality Analysis in Gaza
Significant commentary (here and here) continues to be generated about proportionality and the legality of the use of force, including addressing the jus ad bellum (justification…
Spying Among Friends: The Troubled Waters of the CIA and BND
The rapid erosion of US-German relations continues to prompt much attention and consternation on both sides of the Atlantic. The new era urged by presidential candidate Barack…
More focus on jus ad bellum in Gaza
More than 1900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, hundreds of thousands are displaced and the material destructions are formidable. There have been several claims that Israel…