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The U.N. Security Council sits in around a large open circular table, with a mural in the background.

Q&A with Eliav Lieblich on Iran-Israel Hostilities

Expert insight on the legality of recent attacks by Iran and Israel, how domestic politics could impact an Israeli response, and prospects for de-escalation.

How the Expansion of “Self-Defense” Has Undermined Constraints on the Use of Force

Legal Scholar Oona Hathaway examines how expansive U.S. interpretations of "self-defense" have shaped international law.
World flags in front of the United Nations building

The Time has Come to Have a Conversation at the U.N. on Self-Defence

Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Legal Adviser to Mexico's Mission to UN, writes in his personal capacity about an important conversation on international law.
A woman walks by a crater cause by a car bomb explosion in the town of Suluk in Syria's Turkish-controlled Tal Abyad border region on November 10, 2019, in which Ankara said at least eight people were killed and more than 20 wounded.

Turkey’s Syria Invasion: German Research Report Says Illegal on All Counts

A German parliamentary research report serves as an important reminder that evidence and proportionality matter, and that exceptions to the prohibition of the use of force should…
The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.

The German Constitutional Court on the Right of Self-Defense Against ISIS in Syria

German Constitutional Court concludes that the government has a reasonable claim that the UN Charter permits use of force in self-defense against non-state actors — at least…
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi holds up maps of the Strait of Hormuz while speaking to the media before a meeting with other UN members on the escalating situation with the United States At United Nation headquarters on June 24, 2019 in New York City.

Iran’s Shifting Views on Self-Defense and ‘Intraterritorial’ Force

Iran’s justification for shooting down a US drone suggests a subtle shift in its understanding of international law.

Collective Self-Defense and the “Bloody Nose Strategy”: Does it Take Two to Tango?

The Japanese people and their government have reason to be nervous. Last year, North Korea conducted two ballistic missile tests over Japan. If that was not enough, the U.S. Government…

Best Advice for Policymakers on “Bloody Nose” Strike against North Korea: It’s Illegal

 In this image provided by the South Korean Unification Ministry, the head of South Korean delegation Lee Woo-Sung shakes hands with the head of North Korean delegation Kwon Hook-Bong…

Recent Israeli Strikes on Syria and the Prohibition on the Unilateral Use of Force

An Israeli F-16 jet takes off on December 9, 2014 at the Ovda airbase in the Negev Desert near Eilat, southern Israel. (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images) On Tuesday, January 9, Israel…
Just Security

Moves toward greater transparency on the use of lethal force [UPDATED]

Unless I’m overlooking something, this weekend’s strike directed at Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansur, in the province of Baluchistan, was only the second…
Just Security

Is the US Allowed to Control a Syrian Airfield?

Reports have recently emerged that the US is in control of an airfield in Syria. The details are a bit sketchy and it’s hard to determine their veracity. For their part, US officials…
Just Security

A Legal Map of Airstrikes in Syria (Part 2)

Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a two-part series discussing the legal justifications various countries have put forth related to airstrikes in Syria. You can find…
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