International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
741 Articles
Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations
Retired General Charlie Dunlap writes that partial transparency on civilian casualty reports may be worse than none.
Reflecting on the Civilian Casualty Executive Order: What Was Lost and What Can Now Be Gained
What information did the public just lose with Trump's decision, and what can Congress do beyond just restoring it? Civilian casualties in wartime reporting and minimization.
Trump’s Revocation of Reporting on Lethal Strikes: All Eyes on Congress, Now
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order revoking a section of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on civilian casualties that required annual reporting…
The Pentagon’s Latest Report on Civilian Casualties Policy
Late on Friday night, the Pentagon submitted to Congress and publicly released a 17-page report required under the 2019 John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)…
General Comment 36: A Missed Opportunity?
General Comment 36 on the human right to life under article 6 of the ICCPR adopts the view that both international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL) apply during…
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…
Calibrating the Compass of Proportionality
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 newly published…
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…