Armed Conflict

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826 Articles
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror”

An absence of credible legal basis for the Caribbean strike suggests the Trump admin is asserting a prerogative to kill outside the law.

Book Release – Perpetual War and International Law: Enduring Legacies of the War on Terror

Introducing a new OUP book interrogating how precedents set in the post-9/11 era continue to shape contemporary conflicts.
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City

The Many Ways in Which the September 2 Caribbean Strike was Unlawful … and the Grave Line the Military Has Crossed

A deep dive into US domestic authority and law most relevant to the US strike on alleged Venezuelan drug boat.
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City

Striking Drug Cartels Under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict

Analysis of laws of war and law on the resort to armed force in U.S. military action against Tren de Aragua.
The Just Security Podcast

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas? What You Need to Know about the U.S. Strike on the Caribbean Vessel

Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane join Tess Bridgeman to unpack what you need to know about the U.S. strike on a purported drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean.
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean

The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on a purported drug smuggling vessel – and its vow that it is the start of a campaign – raise significant legal issues.
Left Side: Rescuers from the Emergency Services of Ukraine extinguish a blaze in the aftermath of a Russian drone strike on a warehouse storing food products on August 9, 2025 in Sloviansk, Ukraine. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images) Right Side: An Israeli army infantry-fighting vehicle (IFV) leaves a cloud of dust as it moves at a position along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

From Ukraine to Gaza: IHL Compliance as a Tool for Preventing Moral Injury

Ukraine's voluntary IHL compliance report provides an opportunity to examine the concept of moral injury in armed conflict - Israel should follow Ukraine's lead.
The Just Security Podcast

The Just Security Podcast: Ukraine’s Resistance to Russia’s Invasion — The Other Mobilization

As millions of Ukrainians face the devastation of their communities, volunteers—especially women—have stepped up to support the nation’s survival. 
cloud of smoke erupting following Israeli bombardment on a building

“Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics”: The Legality of Statistical Proportionality

Israel's practice of statistical proportionality should be considered to violate the legal duty to take feasible precautions in attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by Republican lawmakers, holds a gavel after signing the "One, Big Beautiful Bill" Act into law during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)

Congress Shrinking from the World: the Constitution’s Article I in the Shadow of Trump 2.0

Congress has revealed itself less as a coequal branch and more as an accomplice in the marginalization of its own constitutional role in foreign and national security policy.

Manifestly Illegal: Israeli International Law Scholars on the Stated Plan to “Concentrate” the Palestinian Population in South Gaza

Israeli international law scholars send urgent letter to Israel’s Minister of Defense, the IDF Chief of Staff, the Attorney General.

Our Duty to Explain Israel’s Operation to “Concentrate and Move Population” in Gaza is a Manifest War Crime

We wrote this essay to fulfill our human, conscientious, and civic duty, as Israelis – and as Zionists – who have expertise in areas related to the IDF’s order.
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