Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)

Syrians sell vegetables next to buildings heavily damaged and collapsing from Syria's civil war, in the central city of Homs, on April 28, 2020 as Muslims mark the holy month of Ramadan.

Accountability in the Time of COVID-19: Syria & Iraq

The coronavirus crisis has dominated the global news coverage, but the war in Syria has not gone away. The ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 remains fragile,…

May 6, 2020 Beth Van Schaack

A sign indicates the presence of landmines on April 5, 2019 in Opytne, Ukraine.

The World’s Landmine Challenge Demands Presidential Action

If the international community can assemble the right leadership and resources over the next five years, the global plague of anti-personnel mines can be eliminated from the planet,…

Apr. 2, 2020 Tommy Ross

A nurse checks a computer screen during a COVID-19 novel coronavirus test at a testing booth outside Yangji hospital in Seoul on March 17, 2020. The booth is set up with plastic between the nurse and the patient with glove hand portals similar to intensive care units for babies or those with cancer. The nurse is in a full body jumpsuit, wears a mask, a face shield, and gloves.

Cyber Attacks against Hospitals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Strong are International Law Protections?

Experts have already warned of indications that some “coronavirus-themed cyberattack campaigns” may have been carried out by States. At this stage, however, no such allegation…

Mar. 27, 2020 Kubo Mačák, Laurent Gisel and 1 more

Japan's H-IIA rocket carrying the Kirameki-2 satellite is launched from Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Tanegashima island, Kagoshima prefecture, on January 24, 2017.

War in Space: How International Humanitarian Law Might Apply

(Editor’s Note: The absence of a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework for military operations in outer space represents a troubling deficiency in the understanding of…

Mar. 9, 2020 Michael Schmitt and Sqn. Ldr. Kieran Tinkler

A small Yemeni child walks barefoot on rubble of a building destroyed in an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, at the Old City of Sana'a, on July 07, 2019 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Preventing and Responding to Civilian Casualties: An Upcoming Discussion on Law, Policy, and Progress

Civilian casualties are inevitable in armed conflict. Nonetheless, international law requires armed forces to distinguish between civilians and lawful military objectives, and…

Mar. 9, 2020 Keith Petty

U.S. Air Force Space Command Gen. John "Jay" Raymond stands next to the flag of the newly established U.S. Space Command, the sixth national armed service, in the Rose Garden at the White House August 29, 2019 in Washington, DC.

NATO Recognizes Space as an “Operational Domain”: One Small Step Toward a Rules-Based International Order in Outer Space

(Editor’s Note: The absence of a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework for military operations in outer space represents a troubling deficiency in the understanding of…

Mar. 4, 2020 Hitoshi Nasu

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (C) along with Army Commander Shavendra Silva (L) and Navy Chief Piyal De Silva stand to attention during Sri Lanka's 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Colombo on February 4, 2020.

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…

Feb. 20, 2020 Randle DeFalco

An Afghan orthopaedic technician makes artificial limbs in a workshop at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital for war victims and the disabled in Kabul.

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…

Feb. 18, 2020 Ambassador Donald Steinberg

A female de-miner works to clear mines in Muhamalai, one of the biggest minefields in the world, on March 3, 2019 in Muhamalai, Sri Lanka. A sign with a skull and cross bones reads, “Danger Mines!” in three different languages.

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…

Feb. 4, 2020 Mary Wareham

Rescue teams work amidst debris after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning on January 8, 2020, killing everyone on board.

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.…

Jan. 31, 2020 Adil Ahmad Haque

Iranians march across a bridge on January 5, 2020 in the northwestern city of Ahvaz to pay homage to top general Qasem Soleimani, after he was killed in a US strike in Baghdad.

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.

Jan. 16, 2020 Anicée Van Engeland

An Iranian woman walks beneath a poster honouring the victims of a Ukrainian passenger jet accidentally shot down in the capital last week, in front of the Amirkabir University in the capital Tehran, on January 13, 2020.

Iran Plane Downing: Likely a Violation of International Humanitarian Law (But Not a War Crime)

Iran most likely violated the law of armed conflict in shooting down Ukraine Airlines PS752 but did not commit a war crime.

Jan. 14, 2020 Evelyne Schmid