Laws of War

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107 Articles
A man stands in front of a window in daylight, reaching up to check equipment hanging from a ceiling over a gurney-like hospital bed in a damaged room of a maternity hospital. Shattered glass on the floor at the foot of the gurney reflects the light coming through the window.

How the Law of War Can Reckon with Longer-Term Harms of Attacks on Health

When war affects complex and interconnected civilian systems, the full measure of civilian harm lies in what comes after the blast.
A collage of images featuring scenes from the Russia - Ukraine War.

Just Security’s Russia–Ukraine War Archive

A catalog of over 100 articles (many with Ukrainian translations) on the Russia Ukraine War -- law, diplomacy, policy options, and more.
Two men stand talking with each other in the foreground as dozens of other men swarm around and on top of a building's ruins, along with heavy equipment apparently meant to be used for rescue or cleanup operations.

In the U.S. Strike on an Iranian School, What a Serious Military Investigation Should Look Like

A U.S. military operation resulting in such a civilian death toll as the Minab school strike in Iran demands a credible, thorough Pentagon investigation.
IMAGES (left to right): People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images); A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza City on October 9, 2023 (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images); The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN, holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court (Photo by the International Court of Justice).

Just Security’s Israel-Hamas War Archive

Just Security's collection of more than 110 articles covering the Israel-Hamas War and its diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian consequences.
A wide view of the Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security, regarding the situation in Venezuela.

U.S. Allies and Adversaries’ Reactions to Operation Absolute Resolve to Capture Maduro: UN Security Council Emergency Meeting

Key excerpts from the Jan. 5 U.N. Security Council meeting on the U.S. operation that captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
Screenshot of the OLC Memo

The OLC Maduro Memorandum: Assisting in War Sustaining Activities is Not Direct Participation in Hostilities

A troubling OLC memo claims civilians aiding “war-sustaining activities” can be lawfully targeted—an unsupported interpretation that weakens civilian safeguards.
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.

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.
US Marines' Lockheed Martin F35-B jets arrive in formation to José Aponte de la Torre Airport

Murder by Drone: The Legal and Moral Stakes of the Caribbean Strikes

If allowed to go unchecked, the Caribbean strikes could encourage additional unlawful executions by the United States and other leaders.
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror”

An absence of credible legal basis for the Caribbean strike suggests the Trump admin is asserting a prerogative to kill outside the law.

Manifestly Illegal: Israeli International Law Scholars on the Stated Plan to “Concentrate” the Palestinian Population in South Gaza

Israeli international law scholars send urgent letter to Israel’s Minister of Defense, the IDF Chief of Staff, the Attorney General.

Our Duty to Explain Israel’s Operation to “Concentrate and Move Population” in Gaza is a Manifest War Crime

We wrote this essay to fulfill our human, conscientious, and civic duty, as Israelis – and as Zionists – who have expertise in areas related to the IDF’s order.
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