International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
648 Articles

U.S. Issues Travel Ban on Sri Lankan Military Leader
The U.S. State Department’s announcement of a travel ban on Sri Lankan Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, current commander of the Sri Lankan Army and acting chief of the Defense…

When Professionalism Mattered: Dissent Against U.S. Policy on Landmines
President Trump's retaliation against principled dissenters and his jettisoning of longstanding U.S. policy on landmines converge in a look back to see how another administration…

Why the US Military Needs to Rethink How It Investigates Civilian Harm
A new report analyzed a total of 228 investigations into reported civilian harm in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria between 2002 and 2015.

American Policy Paralysis in the Middle East Strikes Idlib
While observers of the Middle East focus on the spiraling escalation of US-Iran tensions, a humanitarian crisis with potentially far greater consequences is rapidly unfolding in…

US Should Think Again About Reversing Landmine Policy
The Trump administration announced Friday that the United States will re-start using and producing antipersonnel landmines. The new policy follows the U.S. retreat from multilateralism…

Human Shielding (by Omission) in Iran
Iran violated its legal obligations to take passive precautions to protect civilians under its control, with the intent that those civilians shield military targets from attack.…

Iran’s Leaders Preserve the Republic With a Hybrid of International and Islamic Law
The rhetorical strategy allows them to address the world and Iranians at the same time, while passing on different messages.

Targeted Killing of General Soleimani: Why the Laws of War Should Apply, and Why it Matters
In her thought provoking and thorough piece, Agnes Callamard addresses – among many other issues – the question whether the US strike against General Qassem Soleimani was subject…

Civilian Casualties: A Case for U.S. Condolence Payments in Syria
The U.S. military acknowledges it unintentionally killed 40 civilians in a 2017 air strike, but rejects appeals to help those who survived.

Congress Expands Oversight of U.S. Payments for Civilian Deaths
The payments are among the only ways the U.S. military acknowledges and responds to civilian deaths or injuries in its operations, and previous reporting exposed significant gaps…

Hidden Gems: Civilian Casualties and Use of Force Reporting Provisions in the Annual Defense Bill
For all the ways that the NDAA falls short on various human rights issues, there are some bright spots that should not be overlooked.

Assessing the New U.S. “View” on the Legality of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
In his remarks to the press yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the following with respect to the settlement of Israeli civilians in the West Bank. I’ve highlighted…