Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)

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A member of the Ukrainian army and a policeman stand near body bags exhumed from a mass grave where civilians where buried in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on April 13, 2022, amid Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine. - A visit by the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor to Bucha -- the Kyiv suburb now synonymous with scores of atrocities against civilians discovered in areas abandoned by Russian forces -- came as the new front of the war shifts eastward, with new allegations of crimes inflicted on locals. (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

History and International Law Proscribe Amnesties for Russian War Crimes

Compromising on prosecutions for Russian atrocities would erode the system of international justice built since Nuremberg and undermine the rule of law itself.
The U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), left, USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), front, USS Mahan (DDG 72), back, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213, operates as a joint, multi-domain force with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, Nov. 13, 2025; transiting the Anegada Passage and entered the Caribbean Sea, Nov. 16, 2025

Operation Southern Spear: Why the Crews, Drugs, and Boats are Not Targetable

A deep dive on the international law applicable to the U.S. military's lethal operations against suspected drug boats
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

U.S. Boat Strike Campaign: Questions Congress Should Ask Executive Branch Officials

A list of questions that should be answered by U.S. government officials regarding the lethal campaign against suspected drug trafficking individuals, groups, and vessels.
The Just Security Podcast Cover Image

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part IV

Co-hosted with RCLS, a panel of experts discuss the Trump administration's continued campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers.
US Marines unload from an Osprey V-22 aircraft at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport

Killing Shipwrecked Survivors is Not Just Illegal—It Endangers U.S. Servicemembers

If the United States chooses a path where killing defenseless survivors becomes acceptable, American servicemembers will pay the price for that choice.
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Professional Responsibility and the Boat Strikes

Legal and ethical debates surge around unreleased OLC memo on lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean, with growing calls for transparency and scrutiny of military lawyers.

Unlawful Orders and Killing Shipwrecked Boat Strike Survivors: An Expert Backgrounder

An expert backgrounder on the reported Hegseth "no quarter" order to kill everyone aboard a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2.
Screenshot of the mock legal review by Daniel Maurer.

Hypothetical Legal Review of Narcotrafficking Strikes

A mock “operational legal review” depicting what a staff judge advocate’s advice should have been prior to the first reported strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel.
The USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departs the Port of Port of Spain on October 30, 2025. The US warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on October 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Saber Rattling and Venezuela: Lawful Show of Force or Unlawful Threat of Force?

Clearly, U.S. actions are threatening to Venezuela. But do they amount to an unlawful threat under international law, or are they merely a lawful show of force?

Irreconcilable Presidential Determinations: On Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan Government

The two determinations are mutually exclusive; it is legally impossible to maintain both simultaneously.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) during the Great Heritage - Common Future Forum, a Russian-Belarusian meeting, dedicated to the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad on April 29, 2025 in Volgograd, Russia. Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko are having a joint visit to Volgograd, former Stalingrad, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

Memorandum for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine

James Goldston and Esti Tambay present their organization's work, a Memorandum supporting efforts to hold officials accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s Obligations Towards UNRWA and Other International Organizations in the Occupied Territories: Key Issues

Unpacking the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Israel's obligations towards the UN and others to provide humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza.
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