International Armed Conflict
33 Articles
Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: End Unlawful, Secret, and Unaccountable Use of Lethal Force
A core component of post-9/11 counterterrorism policy has been the use of secretive and unaccountable killings of terrorism suspects. The killings must stop. Here's how the president…
New Developments in ICRC Commentaries to the POW Convention
On Tuesday, June 16 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched its updated Commentary to the Geneva Convention III Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War…
Assessing Turkey’s “Resettlement” Plans in Syria under the Law of Occupation
Turkey's "resettlement plan" for northern Syria - involving the transfer of at least 1 million refugees to the area within Syria it intends to control - is unlawful under the international…
Saudi Oil Attacks Raise Questions About Nature of Yemen Conflict and Legitimate Military Targets
Do the attacks against Saudi oil facilities change the current classification of the conflict in Yemen? Are oil facilities targetable under IHL?
Alseran v MOD and the Legal Risks in Treating All Captives as Prisoners of War
British and American troops with Iraqi captives in March 2003. (UK MOD) Last month, the English High Court delivered its judgment in favour of the claimants in Alseran and Others…
Memo to President Obama: You Have Another Memo to Withdraw
The election of Donald Trump has triggered an anxious conversation about how President Obama can entrench some of his accomplishments before January 21, 2017. Importantly, given…
Implicit Consent and the Use of Force in Syria
There has been an interesting and robust debate on Just Security over the past several weeks regarding the issue of the use of force on the territory of another state, but not…
Untangling the Web of Actors in Syria and Additional Complexities of Classifying Armed Conflicts
As the international community struggles to find solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, several recent posts at Just Security and elsewhere have offered interpretations…
Shots Fired: A Reply to Gill and Watkin
Thanks to Terry Gill and Ken Watkin for their replies to my earlier post. To recall, the ICRC takes the view that the use of armed force by one State on the territory of another,…
Letter to the Editor: “Lines in the Sand”—A Reply to Professor Haque
I have noted with interest Professor Adil Haque’s critique of my posts (here and here) concerning the classification of armed conflicts involving non-consensual cross border…
International Armed Conflict in Syria and the (Lack of) Official Immunity for War Crimes
Last week, I wrote two posts at Just Security (here and here) on one of the legal consequences that would follow if the situation in Syria is an “international armed conflict”…
Turkey’s US-Backed Operation in Syria Has Created an International Armed Conflict
Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işik during a U.N. Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting at Lancaster House in London, Sept. 8, 2016. DoD photo…