Recent Articles

An activist of Vesna (Spring) youth movement fills a bag with two thousand paper planes, as a symbol of Telegram, during a flash-mob near the Roskomnadzor building in Saint Petersburg on April 13, 2018, as they protest against the blocking of the popular messaging app "Telegram" in Russia, after it refused to give state security services access to private conversations.

Telegram: A Growing Social Media Refuge, for Good and Ill

It is used in some quarters as a tool of constructive political resistance, and in others abused to spread disinformation and illicit content.

Feb. 26, 2021 Veronika Velch

Early Edition: February 26, 2021

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

Feb. 26, 2021 Siven Watt

Members of the security forces walking at the site of a NATO airstrike which destroyed two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Kunduz on September 4, 2009.

Kunduz Airstrike Before European Court of Human Rights: Future of Jurisdiction and Duty to Investigate

The future of European Human Rights Court's jurisdiction and the future of States' duty to investigate civilian casualties in wartime.

Feb. 26, 2021 Chantal Meloni

KBR v. SFO: the United Kingdom’s Microsoft Ireland?

U.K. law enforcement agencies lack power to compel foreign companies to hand over overseas data. What does the decision mean for data sharing?

Feb. 25, 2021 Tim Cochrane

People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. A number of people use rowboats and small motorized boats as well. The flooding appears to be up to people’s waists in some areas of the street and to their knees in the more shallow areas.

Is Climate Change a National Emergency?

Declaring a national climate emergency would convey a powerful signal from the White House about the urgency of the climate crisis —while also activating several legal authorities…

Feb. 25, 2021 Mark Nevitt

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

Nonviolent and inclusive, they can provide the energy, dynamism, and power-shifting ability needed to address the world’s interconnected crises.

Feb. 25, 2021 Maria J. Stephan

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a session of the UN Security Council on climate and security at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on February 23, 2021 in London, England. A number of different countries’ flags are seen behind him.

Shooting Ourselves in the Foot: Even Democratic Nations Are Undermining the International Justice System

The biggest winners of a weakened international justice system are the many authoritarian and dictatorial leaders in the world.

Feb. 25, 2021 Andras Vamos-Goldman

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with Jewish community leaders at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center to discuss the nuclear deal reached with Iran on September 3, 2015 in Davie, Florida. He looks down at the table and rests his mouth in closed hands. A person appears to place a hand on his shoulder from next to him.

Biden Risks Playing into the Hands of Iranian Hardliners

President Biden still has not made a demonstration of good faith by tangibly diverting from Trump’s maximum pressure approach on Iran. By not doing so, he is falling into the…

Feb. 25, 2021 Sina Toossi

Early Edition: February 25, 2021

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

Feb. 25, 2021 Siven Watt

Volkan Bozkir, President of the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, chairs the General Assembly meeting that hears a report of the Economic and Social Council.

UN Security Council Won’t Respond to Myanmar’s Coup, But the General Assembly Can

Responding to the coup in Myanmar calls for ambitious out-of-the-box thinking, and an understanding that such pressure is unlikely to come from the United Nations Security Council.

Feb. 25, 2021 Rebecca Barber

Iraqi Yazidis attend a candle-lit vigil in the Sharya area, some 15 kilometres from the northern city of Dohuk in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region on August 3, 2020, marking the sixth anniversary of the Islamic State (IS) group's attack on the Yazidi community in the northwestern Sinjar district. They hold signs reading, “Support women survivors from ISIS captivity,” “We will not give u; we will not stop until all kidnapped are returned,” and more. One person wears a face mask, but the other two in the photo do not.

Intersecting Religious and Gender-Based Persecution in Yazidi Genocide Case: A Request for an Extension of Charges

The self-described Islamic State (IS) is publicly accused of having committed, in addition to genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity and persecution on the basis of religion…

Feb. 24, 2021 Alexandra Lily Kather and Alexander Schwarz

Sri Lankan Army Major General Jagath Dias points to a map where security forces are located during a presentation for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse at the city of Kilinochchi on April 16, 2009.

Universal Jurisdiction — the Most Difficult Path to Achieve Justice for Sri Lanka

The record shows that, if this is the only feasible route to accountability for now, countries will require additional support at the UN level to achieve accountability.

Feb. 24, 2021 Andreas Schüller