International human rights law (IHRL)

Recent developments are deepening European officials' existing unease about Washington's steadiness as a security partner.

A deep dive on the international law applicable to the U.S. military's lethal operations against suspected drug boats

A list of questions that should be answered by U.S. government officials regarding the lethal campaign against suspected drug trafficking individuals, groups, and vessels.

An expert Q&A on the Trump administration's lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats on the high seas.

If the United States chooses a path where killing defenseless survivors becomes acceptable, American servicemembers will pay the price for that choice.

An expert backgrounder on the reported Hegseth "no quarter" order to kill everyone aboard a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2.

A mock “operational legal review” depicting what a staff judge advocate’s advice should have been prior to the first reported strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel.

The only way States can avoid complicity in “arbitrary killings” under international human rights law is to refrain from sharing intelligence that, in part, enables them.

To see crisis as catalyst is to reject fatalism and to believe that law can be both a shield and a compass in turbulent times. #ILW2025 aims to honor that belief.

The U.S. operations conducted to date against suspected members of drug cartels stretch the applicable international law rules and their interpretation beyond recognition.

Analysis by former career judge advocate officer and former court-martial prosecutor.

By Professor Ben Saul, the Challis Chair of International Law at University of Sydney and United Nations Special Rapporteur.