Jus ad Bellum
159 Articles
International Law on the Saudi-Led Military Operations in Yemen
On Wednesday night, Saudi Arabia launched a military intervention in Yemen to stop Houthi advances through the country. Calling it “Operation Decisive Storm,” Saudi Arabia…
No, Disguising Military Equipment As Civilian Objects to Help Kill Isn’t Perfidy
I read with great interest my friend Rogier Bartels’ long post arguing that it is perfidious to use a bomb planted in a civilian car to kill an enemy soldier. As Rogier notes,…
Preparing for Cyber War: A Clarion Call
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
The Backroom: An Inside Account of UN Sec-General’s Statement on US War in Syria
President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Image credit: White House/Pete Souza Several posts at Just Security have focused on international legal questions raised…
Associated Forces and Co-belligerency
While Congress is expected to adopt a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), debate continues on the scope…
The Fine Line Between Collective Self-Defense and Intervention by Invitation: Reflections on the Use of Force against ‘IS’ in Syria
Bashar and Asma al-Assad. Image credit: Ricardo Stuckert/ABr via Wikimedia Commons. [Editor’s Note from Ryan Goodman: With the U.S. Congress turning its attention to an…
Did the U.S.-Israeli killing of Mughniyah violate international law?
Over the weekend, The Washington Post reported on a joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Imad Mughniyah—Hezbollah’s reported chief of international operations—on the…
Assad: Willing to risk direct confrontation with U.S. over moderate rebels—and stronger opposition to US airstrikes
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Foreign Affairs’ Jonathan Tepperman provides several important nuggets for international lawyers and policymakers to analyze.…
Assessing (Again) the Defensive Operations in Syria
The military operations against the Islamic State and Khorasan group in Syria have already received a lot of attention among international lawyers. The conversation has focused…
Normative Voids and Asymmetry in Cyberspace
[Editors’ Note: This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous…
Taking the Weight off of International Law: Has Syria Consented to US Airstrikes?
US airstrikes in Syria have raised significant questions about whether the US actions violate international law. That controversy would evaporate if Syria took a path of consenting,…
International Law and Cyber Attacks: Sony v. North Korea
It could only happen in the movies. A major Hollywood company produces a film starring well-known comedic actors which involves the tongue-in-cheek assassination of the leader…