Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)

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A multi-purpose weapon robot from US Darley Defense makes his way at the Eurosatory international land and airland defence and security trade fair, in Villepinte, a northern suburb of Paris, on June 13, 2022. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Gendering the Legal Review of New Means and Methods of Warfare

Weapons' use and impact on civilians and combatants varies across genders - meaning States must undertake gender-sensitive reviews of new weapons.

Aug. 23, 2022 Andrea Farrés Jiménez

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 01: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House on August 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. Biden announced that over the weekend, U.S. forces launched an airstrike in Afghanistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri, 71, took over leadership of al-Qaeda in 2011, shortly after American forces killed Osama bin Laden. The president said there were no civilian casualties. (Photo by Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images)

What Was the International Legal Basis for the Strike on al-Zawahiri?

Serious questions need to be addressed in order to establish that both the killing of Zawahiri, and the use of force against Afghanistan, were not violations of international law.

Aug. 9, 2022 Craig Martin

Tamil members of Sri Lanka's parliament hold placards during a demonstration outside the President’s office in Colombo on February 24, 2022, to protest against the acquisition of their land in northern and eastern regions under the guise of protecting archeological sites. They hold signs in a variety of languages. One reads, “Stop the land grab! of Tamils under the guise of Mahaweli”

Sri Lanka’s Real Reckoning is Yet to Come

Accountability for atrocities against Tamils and curbing Sinhala Buddhist nationalism are key to the island’s stability and prosperity.

Jul. 20, 2022 Tasha Manoranjan

Internally displaced people from the Kibumba area near the North Kivu city of Goma take refuge on May 25, 2022 at the Kunyaruchinya school trying to shelter from the ongoing clashes between the Congolese Army and the M23 rebels. People gather in a field in front of the buildings, going about activities of daily life.

New Armed Conflict in DR Congo: A Renewed Call for Civilian Protection

Recent escalation of violence in eastern DRC has already displaced over 150,000 civilians and killed at least 23.

Jun. 30, 2022 Daniel Levine-Spound and Niku Jafarnia

People formerly detained in relation to the conflict in Yemen are transported back to their region of origin or to their home countries by the ICRC. Former detainees get off the plane chartered by the ICRC and reunite with family members.

Taking Action, Not Sides: The Benefits of Humanitarian Neutrality in War

"I argued that it was immoral to remain neutral when faced with genocide and war crimes. .... I was not right, as I realized a few years later while working for the ICRC."

Jun. 21, 2022 Fiona Terry

Hidden In Plain Sight: US Nonprofits As Drivers of Illegal Israeli Settlements

US NGOs direct tax deductible contributions to organizations engaged in building settlements on occupied territory.

Jun. 10, 2022 Elena Hodges

Don’t Forget Your Friends: Risks and Opportunities in Security Partnerships

Any policy on civilian protection that lack a robust plan for working with partners would be incomplete. New frameworks, tools, and capabilities are needed to support partners…

Jun. 9, 2022 Trevor Keck

Illustration of a Second Italian War of Independence 1859, Battle of Solferino, 24.6.1859, French Emperor Napoleon III and his staff

A Memory of Solferino

Reviewing Hugo Slim, Solferino 21: Warfare, Civilians and Humanitarians in the Twenty-First Century (London: Hurst & Company, 2022). Amid the brutal siege, costing the lives…

May 26, 2022 Boyd van Dijk

A stack of the book “Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions” by Boyd van Dijk. One book stands upright showing the full cover, which includes an image of an empty hall with raised seating in the back. At the top reads, “The history and Theory of International Law.” The bottom shows the publisher as Oxford.

Review of Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions

Reviewing Boyd van Dijk, Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022). Boyd van Dijk has written a superb political and legal…

May 16, 2022 Hugo Slim

An overhead view of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

Defense Dept Law of War Manual and Its Unintended Readings: On Civilians Assuming Risk of Harm

The Manual risks creating a false impression that is not intended by the senior Defense Department leadership who produced the Manual — a problem that could significantly undervalue…

May 13, 2022 Ryan Goodman and Gordon Dunbar