Civilian Casualties (CIVCAS)
209 Articles
What to Make of the Pentagon’s Internal Civilian Casualties Review, and What Comes Next
Breaking analysis of a new Department of Defense report on civilian casualties in the CENTCOM and AFRICOM areas of operation from 2015-2017: the key takeaways, major gaps, and…
Proportionality and Doubt
This article is part of our joint symposium with EJIL: Talk! on Chatham House’s “Proportionality in the Conduct of Hostilities” Report. Chatham House’s research paper by…
CENTCOM Improves Transparency of Yemen War Civilian Casualties, But Gaps Remain
On January 7, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) published a press release titled “CENTCOM counterterrorism strikes in Yemen 2018 rollup,” providing data on the various…
Chatham House Report on Proportionality in the Conduct of Hostilities — Some Key Elements
A synopsis of the key elements of Chatham House's report on proportionality in the conduct of hostilities, with a focus on the incidental harm to civilians and civilian objects…
Introducing Joint Symposium on Chatham House’s “Proportionality in the Conduct of Hostilities” Report
In collaboration with Chatham House and EJIL: Talk, Just Security is hosting a joint forum on Chatham House's report on proportionality in the conduct of hostilities, with analysis…
Uptick in U.S. Air Strikes on Buildings in Afghanistan Raises Questions
U.S. military aircraft bombed over 60 buildings in Afghanistan in October alone, reviving longstanding concerns that these kinds of strikes could risk higher numbers of civilian…
The Pentagon Put Someone in Charge of Its Civilian Casualty Policy. Now What?
For all the time and attention that the Defense Department has rightly spent addressing civilian casualties, no single official at the Pentagon has ever been formally charged with…
The Saudi Playbook: Self-Investigations of Civilian Deaths in Yemen and Khashoggi
We’ve been here before. Saudi Arabia has a sordid track record of announcing formal mechanisms to look into deaths of civilians at the hands of its own officers which have then…
Justice Dept Must Open Criminal Investigation Into Potential War Crimes by U.S. Mercenaries in Yemen
the Justice Dept has clear authority to investigate a band of American mercenaries for alleged killings carried out in Yemen, acts which may amount to murder or war crimes.
Many Problems with Forever War: Being Too Humane Is Not One of Them
A challenge to the notion that increasing humanity in war is a bad thing from two people who work for a non-governmental organization devoted to the protection of civilians.…
Grading the Pompeo Certification on Yemen War and Civilian Protection: Time for Serious Reconsideration
Former State Department official (stepped down in May 2017) and top expert on civilian casualties and targeting operations analyzes the State Department's certification to Congress,…
Condolence Payments for Civilian Casualties: Lessons for Applying the New NDAA
The new National Defense Authorization Act can help improve the way the U.S. responds to civilian casualties. FOIA requests and interviews with DoD officials, U.S. soldiers, judge…