This Giving Tuesday, you can help us inform a more just and secure world. Donate now.

armed attack

× Clear Filters
15 Articles
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Committee met to hear testimony on the proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 and the future year's defense program for the Department of Defense. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

U.S. Boat Strike Campaign: Questions Congress Should Ask Executive Branch Officials

A list of questions that should be answered by U.S. government officials regarding the lethal campaign against suspected drug trafficking individuals, groups, and vessels.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Expert Q&A on the U.S. Boat Strikes

An expert Q&A on the Trump administration's lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats on the high seas.
A US Marines' Lockheed Martin F35-B jet prepares to land at José Aponte de la Torre Airport, formerly Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, on September 13, 2025, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. President Donald Trump is sending ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on September 5, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean. The planes will join US warships already deployed to the southern Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States accuses of leading a drug cartel. The Trump administration recently carried out a drone strike in the southern Caribbean against a boat that had left Venezuela and was suspected of transporting drugs. Eleven people died in the attack. The president claimed that the vessel was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Attacking Drug Cartels in the Territory of Another State

The U.S. operations conducted to date against suspected members of drug cartels stretch the applicable international law rules and their interpretation beyond recognition.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) sits across from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R)

Some Questions About Trump’s Order Pledging to Defend Qatar’s Security

Trump's Executive Order on Qatar raises a number of important legal and policy questions that merit careful consideration by Congress and the public.
Smoke billows from a city neighborhood of tan, brown buildings.

Assessing Jus Ad Bellum Proportionality: A Factored Approach

Nine factors, considered in their totality, would provide a more nuanced understanding of jus ad bellum proportionality and assist States in identifying specific concerns with…
A view of a deserted migrants' camp on the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region on November 18, 2021. (Photo by LEONID SHCHEGLOV/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images)

On Empathy, Scholarship, and Political Action: A Response to Lahmann

The situation on Belarus's borders sparks a debate on the appropriate path for international legal scholars. The latest from Aurel Sari and Ben Hudson.
Image: Polish law enforcement officers stand at the frontier at the Bruzgi-Kuznica border crossing where migrants gathered aiming to cross into Poland, in the Grodno region on November 16, 2021. (Photo by MAXIM GUCHEK/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images)

Stirring Trouble at the Border: Is Belarus in Violation of International Law? – Part 1

Belarus has been criticized for using desperate migrants to pressure EU borders. But is it breaking international law by doing so?
The sky is hazy at the Syrian border city of Albu Kamal in the Deir Ezzor region on November 12, 2018.

Biden’s First Strike and the International Law of Self-Defense

The U.S. airstrikes taken on Friday in Syria almost certainly violated international law, for two basic reasons.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) fires a close-in weapons system during a live-fire exercise, April 27, 2020.

On Iranian Gunboats: Beware Conflating American and Mainstream Views of the Law

In a recent essay in Just Security entitled “Iranian Gunboat Harassment and the Rules of Engagement,” Michael Schmitt and Durward Johnson explore important questions raised…
Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido waves to the crowd during a mass opposition rally against leader Nicolas Maduro in which he declared himself the country's "acting president", on the anniversary of a 1958 uprising that overthrew military dictatorship, in Caracas on January 23, 2019.

The Rio Treaty: Paving the Way for Military Intervention in Venezuela?

Renewed focus on the presence of terrorist groups in Venezuela, and the Maduro regime’s involvement with such groups, suggest that the ground is being paved for a potential military…
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), the Philippine navy frigate BRP Gregaorio del Pilar (PF-15) and the Philippine navy frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) steam in formation during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2014.

The US-Philippines Defense Treaty and the Pompeo Doctrine on South China Sea

A major statement by Sec. Mike Pompeo on U.S. coming to the military defense of the Philippines against China. A legal expert explains the implications.

Cyber Operations and the U.S. Definition of “Armed Attack”

[Ed. Note: Based on Goodman's remarks at U.S. Cyber Command’s Annual Legal Conference.]

A widely accepted view of the UN Charter is that a State can use force…
1-12 of 15 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: