Law of War Manual

New Commentary on GC IV describes Article 23—the treaty’s key provision governing the duty to allow the passage of essentials to civilians—as "significantly diminished" today.

​The ICRC's updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention fills a loophole-closing function and reasserts international humanitarian law's core protective purpose.

Did the Sept. 2 strike on suspected drug traffickers using an unmarked aircraft violate the prohibition on perfidy, or other LOAC rules, had there been an armed conflict?

Operation Southern Spear’s lethal boat strikes are unlawful under IHRL and, even on the administration’s own terms, trigger binding LOAC and DoD duties to investigate.

A critical assessment of the U.S. DoD Law of War Manual's approach to membership status in non-State armed groups.

In December 2023, the Department of Defense (DOD) quietly released its Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR DOD-I), which was mandated by Section 936 of the…

A critical assessment of how the Department of Defense Law of War Manual narrowly defines "protected persons" under the Geneva Conventions.

Two key issues in Department of Defense Law of War Manual on harm to non-combatants.

Identifying how the DoD's Law of War Manual could be improved in its methodological approach to sources of international law.

Commentary by Department of Defense General Counsel Caroline D. Krass

The real challenge in the space domain is avoiding escalation in the first instance, such as by reducing threats and developing transparency and confidence building measures.

The Russian operation almost certainly violated the international law obligation of due regard and, perhaps, the prohibition on using force. Nevertheless, the Biden administration…