Armed Conflicts

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Former head of political security in south Syria's Daraa province, Atif Najib (R) attends the first trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus on April 26, 2026.

Syria’s Accountability Gap: The Najib Trial and the Case for the ICC

The first criminal trial against a senior Assad regime official comes at a time when Syria’s legal framework remains fragile.
Hegseth is seen in the foreground, walking by a wooden dias where members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are standing and sitting in a wood-paneled room.

Congress Can Act Now on U.S. DoD Inspector’s Report Revealing Violations of Civilian Harm Policy and Law

A Defense Department Inspector General report shows the Pentagon’s failure to prioritize congressionally mandated civilian protection mechanisms amid U.S. military action.
People walk through heavy rubble inside the destroyed courtyard of Al-Zeitoun Preparatory School in Gaza City, following Israeli airstrikes on June 29, 2025. The scene is viewed through metal bars in the foreground.

The ICESCR in Armed Conflict: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Experts argue ICESCR applies in armed conflict and caution against broad claims of international humanitarian law as lex specialis.
Head of the Shin Bet domestic security service Major General David Zini (L) speaks with Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir as they wait for a speech by US President Donald Trump at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025.

“Hunting” the October 7 Attackers: What the Law of Armed Conflict Permits – and What It Doesn’t

Legal analysis of Israel's operation to kill or capture every individual involved in the October 7th massacre.
Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in the sky

International Accountability for U.S. Crimes in the Caribbean and Pacific

If no one acts, U.S. crimes in the Caribbean and Pacific will embolden other bad actors and encourage more violations of international law.
Two soldiers in the foreground wearing fatigues and olive green caps place flags in front of each of the small, white headstones lined up along the green spring grass under leafy trees at Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia.

To Memorialize the Fallen, Renew the Pursuit of Peace

This Memorial Day, to honor the memory of those who gave their lives in war, Americans should consider how to help mold a more peaceful future at home and abroad.
Image of a globe focused on East Europe and parts of western Russia.

Ukrainian Drone Incursions into Baltic States, Russian Electronic Warfare Countermeasures, and International Law

Experts unpack the international law implications of recent incursions of Ukrainian drones into the airspace of Baltic countries due to Russian electronic warfare tactics.
In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implements a maritime blockade against an Iranian-flagged ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 26, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. Rafael Peralta is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (Handout photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Is the United States (Still) at War? How Wars Begin and End

Armed conflict is not a matter of political branding, rhetorical convenience, or domestic law positioning. It is a legal status that turns on objective facts.
Residents walk with a bicycle past destroyed buildings in Yarmouk camp, Damascus, Syria, on November 8, 2025. Established in 1957, Yarmouk was once the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria, but years of conflict left much of it in ruins. (Photo by Omar Albaw / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Starvation on Trial: Koblenz and the Case of Yarmouk

A trial in Germany concerning the siege of Yarmouk in Syria tests the application of universal jurisdiction to patterns of siege warfare and civilian deprivation.
A F-16 jet fighter of Royal Dutch Air Force lands on the runway of Volkel air base, southern Netherlands, on January 2, 2019. - The Dutch Air Force took part in the Air Task Force Middle East mission to fight against ISIS in Iraq and Eastern Syria. (EMKO DE WAAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Netherlands Sets New Path for Investigating Evidence of Civilian Harm in Modern Conflict

A Dutch probe into a 2016 Mosul airstrike exposes how outdated intelligence and weak assessments led to civilian deaths, offering key lessons for accountability.
People wave Iranian flags from the bed of a truck depicting Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani

Is the United States at War with Iraq?

The non-international armed conflict between the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the United States and Israel has yet to transform into an international armed conflict.
People walk past destroyed homes in Gaza

Submission to the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Application of the ICESCR in Situations of Armed Conflict

Outgoing UN Special Rapporteur finds that the destruction of housing in armed conflict is a "central and systemic" violation of international law.
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