International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
723 Articles
What I Told Congress about U.S. Lethal Strikes
Congress should take steps to end America’s war-based approach to counterterrorism policy.
Clear Error in the Defense Department’s Law of War Manual: On Presumptions of Civilian Status
This article is the first in a new project at Just Security that assesses the U.S. Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual with a goal of providing constructive opportunities…
A Big Step Forward or Running in Place?: The Pentagon’s New Policy on Civilian Casualties
New Pentagon effort to respond to civilian harm is encouraging, but DOD needs to demonstrate leadership, scope the problem correctly, and address the growing credibility gap to…
The Al-Qurayshi Operation and Minimization of Civilian Casualties
US officials’ emphasis on minimization of civilian casualties in an operation against such a high value target deserves special attention.
A Rare Public Wake-Up Call from the ICRC on Guantanamo Transfers
An exceedingly rare public statement by the ICRC calls on the Biden administration to get serious about Guantanamo transfers.
Civilian Casualties in U.S. Air Wars: A Wake-up Call for Canada and its Future Use of Armed Drones?
Last month’s New York Times report that the American air wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan have been plagued by flawed intelligence, poor targeting, and thousands of civilian…
Amid Civilian Harm Revelations, Defense Bill Takes Measured Steps on Oversight and Accountability
Recent months have seen a flood of revelations concerning civilian harm resulting from U.S. military operations. The last U.S. airstrike of the war in Afghanistan, which killed…
The Use of Biometric Technologies for Counter-terrorism Purposes in a Human Rights Vacuum
CTED's "best practices" on biometrics miss a key dimension: international human rights law guidance.
America Needs a War on Terror Transparency Act
The Pentagon has three months to investigate the disturbing New York Times report that the military conducted and covered up airstrikes in Baghuz, Syria that killed up to 64 civilians.…
Preliminary but Necessary: The Question of the Applicability of the Notion of Apartheid to Occupied Territory
Does the prohibition of apartheid apply to occupied territory? Marco Longobardo analyzes how laws of war, human rights, occupation, and against racial discrimination intersect.…
Tragic Mistakes: Breaking the Military Culture of Impunity
How framing civilian harm in U.S. military operations -- as a “tragic mistake” -- hides the systemic failure that requires institutional reform.
Centcom’s Full Statement on Baghuz Strike: Annotated
Our co-editor-in-chief identifies and annotates the 20 most significant elements of Centcom's statement.