Recent Articles

The defendant, former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan, 58 years old, stands in a courtroom on his day to be sentenced. He has his covid protection mask off and wears a green jacket and cream colored jersey. He stands next to two individuals in dark blue suits.. In the front of the image is the back of a officer with the word "Justice" on a bulletproof vest.

A German Sentence of Life Imprisonment for Crimes Against Humanity – A Small Measure of Justice for Syria

Unpacking a landmark conviction for war crimes in Syria.

Jan. 14, 2022 Claus Kress

Dozens of soldiers in camouflage fatigues arrive arrive at the airport in Wunstorf, northern Germany on August 27, 2021 at the end of a military evacuation operation to fly out German nationals, local workers and other people at risk from Kabul, Afghanistan. Several large military planes have landed where civilians are disembarking down the stairs from the aircraft.

Evacuating Nationals – A Noteworthy New Element of German Practice and Opinio Juris

The evacuation from Afghanistan may have helped set or solidify international legal rules on use of military force to rescue nationals - the German example.

Jan. 14, 2022 Claus Kress

Early Edition: January 14, 2022

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major national security news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.…

Jan. 14, 2022 Florence Powell

Mobile phone showing image of Donald Trump's Twitter ban against stars of U.S. flag

Big Tech Is Not Big Tobacco

In a hyper-partisan climate, AG litigation against Big Tech could have more costs than benefits.

Jan. 13, 2022 Joseph Krakoff

Image: Left - MONROVIA, LIBERIA – AUGUST 6, 2003: Hundreds of shell casings litter the ground in Monrovia, Liberia, as negotiators try to reach a ceasefire in the country’s brutal civil war. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images) Right - Syrian defendant Anwar R., 57, arrives at court for an unprecedented trial on state-sponsored torture in Syria, on April 23, 2020 at court in Koblenz, western Germany. Prime suspect Anwar R., an alleged former colonel in Syrian state security, stands accused of carrying out crimes against humanity while in charge of the Al-Khatib detention centre in Damascus between April 29, 2011 and September 7, 2012. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes / various sources / AFP). EDITORS NOTE: According to court's ruling, the face of the defendant must be made unrecognizable

From Syria Torture Trial to Liberian Massacre Case – A Plea for Bolstering Witness Protections in Human Rights Litigation

Witness testimony was key in reaching today's conviction of a former Syrian intelligence official for crimes against humanity. But the testimony placed witnesses and victims at…

Jan. 13, 2022 Alyssa Yamamoto

Early Edition: January 13, 2022

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major national security news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.…

Jan. 13, 2022 Florence Powell

TheDonald[.]win and President Trump’s Foreknowledge of the Attack on the Capitol

An analysis of all the known points of contact between "TheDonald.win" and Trump, and what investigators can find.

Jan. 12, 2022 Justin Hendrix

Russia's Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft carrying the members of the International Space Station (ISS) expedition 60/61, NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency), blasts off to the ISS from the launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 20, 2019.

The Russian ASAT Test Caps a Bad Year for the Due Regard Principle in Space

It's time for States to take positions on their treaty obligation to act with "due regard" to the interests of others in outer space.

Jan. 12, 2022 John Goehring

Early Edition: January 12, 2022

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major national security news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.…

Jan. 12, 2022 Florence Powell

Cutting Edge Issues in Year 20 of the Guantánamo Habeas Litigation

After 20 years of Guantánamo litigation, legal questions around detention authority and due process still remain.

Jan. 11, 2022 Shayana Kadidal

Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

There Is a Way to Close Guantanamo

An outline of steps to end the policy of law of war detention, close Guantanamo, and end one of the grimmest chapters of the endless war era.

Jan. 11, 2022 Ian Moss

People in orange jumpsuits and black hoods walk in a single-file line in front of US Capitol building

Defending the Rule of Law Requires Ending Guantanamo Detention

After 20 years, continued Guantanamo detention is unjustifiable.

Jan. 11, 2022 Daphne Eviatar