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US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack and US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A. Johnson met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at Salam's office in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 21, 2025. (Photo by COURTNEY BONNEAU/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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.
A wide view of the room shows Secretary-General António Guterres on a screen at left in the background, with curved rows of desks facing the screen in the photo's foreground.

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.
An engineer points at a screen with markings for people (in red) and vehicles (in yellow)

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.
IMAGES (left to right): People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images); A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza City on October 9, 2023 (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images); The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN, holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court (Photo by the International Court of Justice).

Just Security’s Israel-Hamas War Archive

Just Security's collection of more than 110 articles covering the Israel-Hamas War and its diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian consequences.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at a podium at the UN headquarters while a large audience watches.

In the Race for U.N. Secretary-General, Might a Woman Finally Lead?

In 2026, a decades-old question returns to center stage: will this finally be the moment for a woman to serve as U.N. Secretary-General?
Wide view of Tehran’s skyline with several tall plumes of grey smoke rising between apartment buildings under a hazy, grey sky.

An Unserious Justification for an Unnecessary War: Assessing the U.S. “Article 51” Letter to U.N. on Iran War

Former US State Department attorney writes that the United States' "Article 51" letter to the UN Security Council fails to identify legal basis for Iran attack.
Wide view of highway road, a tall plume of dark grey smokes rises from the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, under a hazy, grey sky.

Iranian Attacks on the Amazon Data Centers: A Legal Analysis

Do data centers qualify as lawful military objectives? If so, under what circumstances are they subject to attack? And what precautions must be taken before targeting them?
Elinor Hammarskjöld (on screen), UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, addresses the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, held from Jan. 19-30, 2026. (via UN Photo)

The Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Advances with First Preparatory Committee

PrepCom’s success will depend on leadership, diverse perspectives, and a shared commitment to justice in a divisive multilateral environment.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs on March 10, 2026. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

The Illegality of Israel’s Military Campaign in Lebanon

Israel and the United States must end their ongoing war of aggression against Iran, and Israel must end its unnecessary military campaign in Lebanon.
A plume of smoke rises above road traffic after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel continued their joint attacks that erupted on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Aggression by the United States and Israel, Misdirected Self-Defense by Iran, and Collective Self-Defense of Gulf States

Analysis of the legality of U.S.-Israel actions against Iran, Iran’s response, and third-party states’ legal options and obligations under the UN Charter.
The image shows a large hall from above at the rear, with at least 5 rows of desks and chairs arrayed in a crescent facing away from the viewer toward the front of the room, where officials sit at a dais flanked by two large screens on the wall behind them showing speakers giving remarks.

How to Prevent the U.N. Global Counterterrorism Strategy Negotiations from Blowing Up

As the UN marks 20 years of its Global Counterterrorism Strategy, co-facilitators must steer fraught negotiations to protect human rights and preserve consensus.
Protesters hold Iranian pre-Islamic revolution of 1979 flags in front of the United Nations office in Geneva​, Switzerland on February 17, 2026.

What the Current Crises Facing Iran Mean for Human Rights and Rules on the Use of Force

The human rights crisis in Iran reveals the limits of a legal system designed to restrain force even when restraint carries profound human costs.
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