Key Topics

Captain Jay Baker, of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, speaks at a press conference on March 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lack of Officials’ Cultural Competency Will Hamper Hate Crimes Laws

April 5, 2021 by

Trump hosts Department of Defense leadership at the White House on October 7, 2019. They pose for a picture in the Oval Office.

Race to the Top Brass

March 29, 2021 by and

A white supremacist walks through the halls of the Capitol Building with a confederate flag during the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

The Failure to Police White Nationalism is a Feature, Not a Bug of American Policing

March 23, 2021 by

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, new Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, speaks to reporters after meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres.

Is There a New Era for Human Rights on the Horizon?

March 19, 2021 by and

Michael Fisher Sr. lifts his son, Michael Fisher Jr., to dunk a basketball near the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue on January 15, 2021 in Richmond, Virginia. Art work, graffiti and memorials cover the racist statue and take a stand against racial injustice.

Turtle Island Project: Prose Meets Policy for Stronger U.S. National Security

March 17, 2021 by

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on January 20, 2021. They wear masks and have a military escort.

How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Advance Peace & Freedom – At Home and Abroad

February 24, 2021 by and

Protesters carry a banner during a demonstration to press for the scrapping of Special Ant-Robbery Squad (SARS) on Abuja-Keffi Expressway, Abuja, Nigeria on October 19, 2020. The banner reads, “#EndSARA #EndPoliceBrutality Stop Killing Nigerian Youth”

Policing in Nigeria and the US: When Domestic Issues and Foreign Policy Connect

February 10, 2021 by and

Demonstrators in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2020, raise signs as they gather at The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to protest the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis. One sign reads, “Black Lives Matter,” and another sign reads, “I am no longer accepting the things I can not change. I am changing the things I can not accept.”

MLK Believed “No Justice, No Peace”

January 18, 2021 by

U.S. Army (retired) General Lloyd Austin speaks after being formally nominated to be Secretary of the Department of Defense by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden at the Queen Theatre on December 09, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Behind him is a banner with the seal of the President-Elect.

Representation at the Top: The Importance of Race in the Austin Nomination Debate

December 11, 2020 by

President Jovenel Moise sits at the Presidential Palace during an interview with AFP in Port-au-Prince, October 22, 2019.

In Haiti’s Political Crisis, US Should Support Democracy and Human Rights

March 11, 2021 by and

Relatives and mourners perform funeral prayers over the coffin of one of the three female media workers shot to death in two separate attacks, in Jalalabad on March 3, 2021.

International Consensus Needed for the Taliban’s “Non-Return Through Force”

March 9, 2021 by

Families of victims and rights activists demonstrate outside Sri Lanka's main prison, demanding justice for the 27 inmates shot dead by security forces in 2012, in Colombo on September 12, 2017.

Emblematic Cases Expose the Long Road to Justice in Sri Lanka

February 22, 2021 by

Family members and relatives take part in the funeral procession of Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad at Khoja Omari district of Ghazni province, on December 22, 2020. The group appears to walk uphill and fills the span of the block.

Unprecedented Threats to Journalists & Civil Society Activists Are Threatening Afghanistan

January 29, 2021 by

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa inspects the guard of honour from a car during the Defence Forces Day celebrations held at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on August 14, 2018.

The American Insurrection Was a Gain for Dictators, and a Loss for Zimbabweans

January 21, 2021 by

Women wait with children in a ward at a malnourishment treatment centre in Yemen's northern Hajjah province on November 22, 2020. The beds the children lie in are covered in netting, and the walkways between beds are very small since the beds are crowded together.

Biden Must Stick to His Pledge to End US Support for the Yemen War

December 14, 2020 by and

Suzan Aref, founder and director of Women Empowerment Organization in Iraq discusses a national report on implementation of the country’s first national action plan on women, peace and security, pursuant to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, at the United Nations in January 2019.

UN Resolution on Women, Peace, and Security Stumbles in Iraq When It’s Needed Most

October 31, 2020 by

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

September 10, 2020 by

Pedestrians look on as a tank is transported on a truck in the streets of N'Djamena on January 3, 2020, upon their return after a months-long mission fighting Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria.

Counterterrorism Assistance to Chad for the Sahel: The Price the People Pay

September 2, 2020 by

People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 22, 2021 by

Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova aka Andreeva and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant's cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021.

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law

April 22, 2021 by

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi units stand guard during a campaign gathering for the Fateh Alliance, a coalition of Iranian-supported militia groups, in Baghdad on May 7, 2018, ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections to be held on May 12. Some hold weapons, and a few sit on the ground.

Team of Legal Gladiators? Iraqi Militias’ Tortured Relationship with Law

April 12, 2021 by , and

A displaced Syrian girl looks around at the camp created by Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in Kafr Lusin village on the border with Turkey in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on March 10, 2020. Tents and laundry hang behind her.

Renouncing Reprisals: An Opportunity for the Biden Administration

April 1, 2021 by

The building and grounds of Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. There is a grassy lawn with a fountain, trees lining the sides, and the building itself is centered.

On Functional Immunity of Foreign Officials and Crimes under International Law

March 31, 2021 by

A war memorial at Jaffna University before it was demolished, in Jaffna. The memorial is a statue of hands reaching toward the sky coming out of a pile of rubble.

UN Human Rights Council Outlines Sri Lanka Abuses, But Demurs on Action

March 26, 2021 by

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, neither who wear face masks, are surrounded by others, many who wear face masks, as they leave the new cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in the ancient hill capital of Kandy, some 116 km from Colombo on August 12, 2020.

When War Criminals Run the Government: Not Too Late for the International Community to Vet Sri Lankan Officials

March 16, 2021 by and

A graphic illustration of Germany with a triangular grid pattern symbolizing virtual connections.

Germany’s Positions on International Law in Cyberspace Part II

March 10, 2021 by

Grave stones of some of the sixteen Afghan villagers who were killed in the March massacre are pictured in the grave-yard in Panjwai district of Kandahar province on November 4, 2012. Colorful fabrics are strung across the grave stones and also laid on the ground partially covering the graves.

Why We Prosecute Wartime Misconduct

March 10, 2021 by

Young refugees from Honduras and Guatemala walk through marsh land around the Rio Grande river as they disembark an inflatable boat on March 28, 2021.

Why Must Central American Asylum Seekers Risk Their Lives to Reach the US? There is an Alternative.

April 19, 2021 by

Legal blind justice Themis metal statue with scales on chains

Litigation Tracker: Major Decisions Facing the Biden Administration

April 19, 2021 by , , , and

A young Honduran asylum seeker waits with her family on the international bridge from Mexico to the United States on December 09, 2019 next to the border town of Matamoros, Mexico. They

To Fix the Immigration System, We Need To Start With Immigration Courts

April 6, 2021 by

A medical doctor wearing a mask representing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez takes part in a protest in Tegucigalpa on September 11, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The doctor carries a 3-D coronavirus model in one hand and a sign in another hand.

To Combat Central America’s Bad Governance, Biden Can’t Just Throw Money at the Problem

March 29, 2021 by

Norma Rodriguez, mother of Keyla Martinez, a nursing student who died in police custody early on February 7, cries during a press conference at the headquarters of the Committee of Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH), in Tegucigalpa, on March 4, 2021. She wears a facemask with her daughter’s face and is comforted by two people wearing identical shirts and the same face masks of her daughter.

Taking Gender Into Account to Better Confront New Security Threats

March 8, 2021 by and

Demonstrators from several environmental groups including Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise Movement demand broad action at a youth-led climate strike near City Hall on December 6, 2019 in New York City. A large banner reads, “Climate Change” but “Climate” is crossed-out and “System” is written in its place to read “System Change.” Youth carry additional signs reading, “Respect your mama” with an Earth symbol; “We cannot say we did not know;” “Hey Exxon, stop burning my future;” “No more excuses;” and more.

How Domestic Civic Movements Could Reshape US Foreign Policy

February 25, 2021 by

People walk along the streets near the remains of burned homes after Hurricane Sandy on October 31, 2012 in the Breezy Point neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Nearly all the homes in the photo covering three of four blocks have been destroyed, and all that can been seen is the building foundations and debris.

As Biden Seeks Answers on Climate’s Impact on Migration, Sydney Declaration Provides Legal Ground Rules for Action

February 19, 2021 by

U.S. President Joe Biden, wearing a face mask, prepares to sign a series of executive orders at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office just hours after his inauguration on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Biden Executive Actions Make Unity Possible for Millions of Marginalized Americans

February 16, 2021 by

An American flag flies at the U.S. Border Patrol station where lawyers reported that detained migrant children had been held unbathed and hungry on June 26, 2019 in Clint, Texas. A fence with barbed wire surrounds the complex.

Ending PACR/HARP: An Urgent Step Toward Restoring Humane Asylum Policy

February 16, 2021 by

A Yemeni child standing under a damaged building looks out of a missing wall at buildings that were heavily damaged in an air strike in the southern Yemeni city of Taez.

Legally Sliding into War

March 15, 2021 by

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby stands behind a podium as he briefs the press at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Feb. 8, 2021.

Knowns and Unknowns of US Syria Strike: Looming Int’l and Domestic Law Issues

March 5, 2021 by

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sits with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden during a meeting that included Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (not shown) at the Queen Theater on November 20, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. They sit at a large horse-shoe or square table allowing ample room for social distancing. An American flag stands behind the table near President-elect Biden.

Principles for a 2021 Authorization for Use of Military Force

March 5, 2021 by , , and

The empty courtroom of the Commissions building where on Tuesday preliminary hearings will begin for four detainees held on the Naval Base is seen August 22, 2004 in Guantanamo, Cuba. Six flags stand at the front of the room.

Upcoming Cases Provide Opportunities to Reassess the Application of the Due Process Clause at Guantanamo

March 3, 2021 by

A satellite image of the site of the Feb 2021 US airstrike in Syria.

Legal Questions (and Some Answers) Concerning the U.S. Military Strike in Syria

March 1, 2021 by

Side-by-side photos of Biden and Trump

Trump’s War Powers Legacy and Questions for Biden

February 23, 2021 by

A U.S. Air Force MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), awaits a mission at an air base in the Persian Gulf region on January 7, 2016.

To End the Forever Wars, Rein in the Drones

February 16, 2021 by

U.S. special operations service members conduct combat operations in support of Operation Resolute Support in Southeast Afghanistan, May 2019. The image is dark and the service members are lit in a low green light.

Defining “Endless War” is Essential for Proper Strategic Analysis of America’s Wars

February 3, 2021 by

Graves of people including children who were killed in the war including airstrikes carried out by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, are seen at a cemetery on June 17, 2020 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Defense Policy Negotiations Near Completion in Congress, With Human Rights Provisions in Play

November 25, 2020 by

U.S. President Joe Biden stands at a podium and announces new economic sanctions against the Russia government from the East Room of the White House on April 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. A chandelier-type lamp and multiple flags stand behind him.

SolarWinds: Accountability, Attribution, and Advancing the Ball

April 16, 2021 by

A bus passes a large Microsoft sign and logo lit up in bright lights.

We’re From the Government, We’re Here to Help: The FBI and the Microsoft Exchange Hack

April 16, 2021 by

U.S. President Joe Biden stands at a podium and announces new economic sanctions against the Russia government from the East Room of the White House on April 15, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Limited Sanctions Will Not Deter Putin, But They Are a Fine Start

April 16, 2021 by

People wearing face masks visit a Huawei booth during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai on February 23, 2021.

China’s Dystopian “New IP” Plan Shows Need for Renewed US Commitment to Internet Governance

April 13, 2021 by and

Flowers line the entrance to Masjid An-Nur mosque as seen on March 14, 2020 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The National Remembrance event to mark one year since the Christchurch mosque attacks, has been cancelled as a precautionary measure due to Covid-19. Signs on the gate read, “Thank you brothers and sisters.”

Terrorism and Other Dangerous Online Content: Exporting the First Amendment?

March 26, 2021 by and

Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after testifying before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A Dozen Experts with Questions Congress Should Ask the Tech CEOs — On Disinformation and Extremism

March 25, 2021 by and

World Map

The Digital Technology Agenda at the Summit for Democracy

March 24, 2021 by

Farmers in India protest against new harmful farming laws while Indian paramilitary soldiers watch them behind barricades on December 13, 2020 at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border in Ghaziabad, India.

In India, US Defense Secretary Austin Must Not Overlook Its Democratic Decline

March 16, 2021 by and

A graphic illustration of Germany with a triangular grid pattern symbolizing virtual connections.

Germany’s Positions on International Law in Cyberspace Part II

March 10, 2021 by

A U.S. soldier mans a gun at the back gate aboard the helicopter carrying U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis as he arrives via helicopter at Resolute Support headquarters on April 24, 2017 in in Kabul, Afghanistan.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (April 9-16)

April 16, 2021 by

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Hizyme Potter, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Capt. Stewart Bateshansky, commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 3, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) in the Arabian Gulf, March 19, 2021. Both wear face masks and Hospital Corpsman Potter wears gloves and a face shield.

Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required for the Military?

April 12, 2021 by

Security Council members hold a videoconference in connection with Maintenance of international peace and security.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (April 2-9)

April 9, 2021 by

EU High Representative and Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Fontelles addresses the ministerial portion of the Brussels V Conference, March 30, 2021

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (March 26 – April 2)

April 2, 2021 by

Empty vials that contained a dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus lie on a table as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign at the Klerksdorp Hospital on February 18, 2021.

Fair Shots for All: At WTO, US Must Prioritize Vaccine Access for Lower-Income Countries Over Drug Company Profits

March 9, 2021 by and

Norma Rodriguez, mother of Keyla Martinez, a nursing student who died in police custody early on February 7, cries during a press conference at the headquarters of the Committee of Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH), in Tegucigalpa, on March 4, 2021. She wears a facemask with her daughter’s face and is comforted by two people wearing identical shirts and the same face masks of her daughter.

Taking Gender Into Account to Better Confront New Security Threats

March 8, 2021 by and

People gather at a candle-light vigil on March 04, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand, for anti-coup protesters who have been killed in Myanmar following the military coup on February 1st. They carry flowers, candles, and flags and banners.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (Feb 26-March 5)

March 5, 2021 by

Members of the Proud Boys join supporters of US President Donald Trump as they demonstrate in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2020. They dress in black and yellow with bullet-proof vests. A few wear masks but the majority do not. Trump supporters in the background waive American flags and Trump banners. A few wear face masks but many do not.

COVID-19 and Terrorism in the West: Has Radicalization Really Gone Viral?

March 4, 2021 by and

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), addresses the Munich Security Conference (MSC) Special Edition: "Beyond Westlessness: Renewing Transatlantic Cooperation, Meeting Global Challenges". Behind him is the WHO flag and a WHO banner.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (Feb. 12-19)

February 19, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021 by

People carry banners as they attend a rally to mark the International Women's Day in Bishkek on March 8, 2021. Some people wear face masks but not all.

High-Level US Attention Needed for a Backsliding Democracy in Central Asia

April 22, 2021 by

People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 22, 2021 by

Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova aka Andreeva and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant's cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021.

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law

April 22, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 22, 2021

April 22, 2021 by

The U.S. Capitol dome at dusk on April 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.

An Opportunity for Congress to Require Transparency of the Executive’s International Agreements

April 21, 2021 by , and

Biden Team’s Litigation Tactics on Guantanamo Undercut Biden Policy to Close the Prison

April 21, 2021 by , and

Early Edition: April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021 by

Protestors hold posters during an anti-corruption rally in Bishkek on December 18, 2019. A poster shows an three images of an official with money in ears, over the eyes, and stuck in his mouth.

Congress Must Stand with Civil Society and Strengthen the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program

April 20, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021 by

People carry banners as they attend a rally to mark the International Women's Day in Bishkek on March 8, 2021. Some people wear face masks but not all.

High-Level US Attention Needed for a Backsliding Democracy in Central Asia

April 22, 2021 by

People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 22, 2021 by

Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova aka Andreeva and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant's cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021.

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law

April 22, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 22, 2021

April 22, 2021 by

The U.S. Capitol dome at dusk on April 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.

An Opportunity for Congress to Require Transparency of the Executive’s International Agreements

April 21, 2021 by , and

Biden Team’s Litigation Tactics on Guantanamo Undercut Biden Policy to Close the Prison

April 21, 2021 by , and

Early Edition: April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021 by

Protestors hold posters during an anti-corruption rally in Bishkek on December 18, 2019. A poster shows an three images of an official with money in ears, over the eyes, and stuck in his mouth.

Congress Must Stand with Civil Society and Strengthen the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program

April 20, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021 by

People carry banners as they attend a rally to mark the International Women's Day in Bishkek on March 8, 2021. Some people wear face masks but not all.

High-Level US Attention Needed for a Backsliding Democracy in Central Asia

April 22, 2021 by

People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 22, 2021 by

Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova aka Andreeva and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant's cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021.

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law

April 22, 2021 by

Early Edition: April 22, 2021

April 22, 2021 by

The U.S. Capitol dome at dusk on April 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.

An Opportunity for Congress to Require Transparency of the Executive’s International Agreements

April 21, 2021 by , and

Biden Team’s Litigation Tactics on Guantanamo Undercut Biden Policy to Close the Prison

April 21, 2021 by , and

Early Edition: April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021 by

Protestors hold posters during an anti-corruption rally in Bishkek on December 18, 2019. A poster shows an three images of an official with money in ears, over the eyes, and stuck in his mouth.

Congress Must Stand with Civil Society and Strengthen the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program

April 20, 2021 by