Armed Conflicts
254 Articles

Geneva Convention III Commentary: Unpacking the Potential of “Ensure Respect” in Common Article 1
[Just Security is publishing a series on the ICRC’s updated Commentaries to the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War (2020). This GCIII Commentary series is published…

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Shortage of Specifics Complicates Search for Solutions
As scholars debate how international law applies in this conflict, the lack of detail makes it hard to know what is taking place on the ground.

Draft “Murad Code” Aims to Improve Investigations of Sexual Violence in Conflict
The guidelines respond to troubling past practices that made investigations ineffective, re-traumatizing, unnecessarily duplicative, and a security risk.

New UN Handbook on Sexual Violence in Conflict Helps, But Still Falls Short
It omits a key type of violation and fails to account for the power structures that enable multiple forms of sexual violence and abuse.

Make Democracy and Governance a Keystone of the US Global Fragility Strategy
The US too often views its work on fragile or failed states as "fixing" various sectors, without enough focus on the political dynamics underneath.

COVID-19 and Violent Conflict: Responding to Predictable Unpredictability
Eleven baseline understandings are likely to be key in designing the most effective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in impoverished, conflict-affected regions.

Dispatch: What a U.S.-Iran War Would Mean for Iraqis
In Iraq, fears are mounting over the potential for open military conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Without U.S. economic support and continued military backing, Iraq would be…

Responding to Goodman’s Memo to the Human Rights Community: Context is Critical
I write to respond to Ryan Goodman’s recent post, “Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside ‘Areas of Active Hostilities,’” and to remind readers where…

Aggression, Armed Conflict, and the Right to Life: Does UN Human Rights Committee Get it Right?
Is it possible to respect the human right to life in the context of war? Or does war, by its very nature, involve the arbitrary deprivation of life? Last month, the United Nations…
Oxford Guidance on Humanitarian Relief Operations: Comments on Arbitrarily Withholding Consent and the Status of the Guidance
[Just Security and EJIL Talk! are co-hosting an online forum on the Oxford Guidance on the Law Relating to Humanitarian Relief Operations in Situations of Armed Conflict, which…
Humanitarian Access from an Armed Non-State Actor’s Perspective
[Just Security and EJIL Talk! are co-hosting an online forum on the Oxford Guidance on the Law Relating to Humanitarian Relief Operations in Situations of Armed Conflict, which…
International & US Support for Transitional Justice Initiatives
My prior post discussed new policy papers on transitional justice issued by the US State Department and US AID. These policy papers reflect the fact that the United States’…