Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)
600 Articles

The ICC Acquittal of Gbagbo: What Next for Crimes against Humanity?
The International Criminal Court dismissed another case this week, ordering the release of two more defendants accused of serious international crimes. The Court's recent record…

A Congo War Crimes Decision: What It Means for Universal Jurisdiction Litigation in Germany and Beyond
The German Federal Court of Justice, the country's court of last resort in criminal and private law, recently announced its much-anticipated decision in a Congo War Crimes case.…

U.S. Air Strike Data from Afghanistan Takes Step Back in Transparency
The U.S. military has stopped publishing important information on its air war in Afghanistan, just two months after deciding to release it. In October, the U.S. began publishing…

“Protecting Children”: A Welcome Addition to Efforts to Redress Wartime Harms
[This essay is the second in an online mini forum that Just Security is hosting on the new book, Protecting Children in Armed Conflict. Other participants in the mini forum include…

Need for Change to Protect Children in Armed Conflict
[This essay by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Shaheed Fatima QC is the opening of an online mini forum that Just Security is hosting on their new book, Protecting Children in…

U.S. Military’s “Collective Self-Defense” of Non-State Partner Forces: What Does International Law Say?
Earlier this month, Senator Tim Kaine made public a letter he wrote to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis asking for clarification on the meaning of “collective self-defense of…

Letter to the Editor: How About Some Regulation of the Mercenary Industry?
Following Sarah Knuckey and Ryan Goodman’s post on U.S. mercenaries in Yemen, I’d like to provide a bit of international legal background to the urgent discussion of whether…

Post-9/11 Generation Reaches Enlistment Age in Unmoored ‘War on Terror’
Human Rights First International Legal Counsel Rita Siemion says it's long past time to ensure that war-based authorities are used only when specifically authorized by Congress…

“ISIS Widows” and “Boko Haram Wives”: Overlooked Abuses in Iraq and Nigeria
Thousands of displaced women in Iraq and Nigeria have been arbitrarily branded as affiliated with IS or Boko Haram, and subjected to abuse as a result. Almost 400 in-depth interviews…

The Israeli Supreme Court Decision on the Gaza Riots: Factual and Legal Confusion
The Israeli Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the legality of lethal force the Israeli army used against Palestinian protesters in Gaza was unambiguous in its final decision:…

Understanding the Fog of Law: Enduring Ambiguities in International Security Law
The international law governing national security and war is plagued by several critical ambiguities. When can states lawfully resort to armed force? What are the constraints on…

Analysis of Israel’s Supreme Court Decision Allowing Lethal Force in Gaza
On May 25th 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected, in a unanimous decision of a three judge panel, a petition by a group of NGOs which challenged the legality of the Rules of…