Laws of War
101 Articles
The Sixth United Nations GGE and International Law in Cyberspace
Top expert analysis of the much-anticipated report that provides consensus views among key States on the application of international law to cyberspace.
Clearing the Fog of War Surrounding Battlefield Use of Tear Gas
The United States takes the (minority) view that international law does not prohibit the defensive use of tear gas in war - and that this could protect civilians - but the risks…
Team of Legal Gladiators? Iraqi Militias’ Tortured Relationship with Law
The country's Iran-backed militias are not law-abiding, but they know Iraqis care about rule of law and have adopted the law as a battlespace.
Protecting the Information Space in Times of Armed Conflict
What, if any, limits exist concerning digital information operations in armed conflict? Does the humanitarian legal framework adequately capture the protection needs that arise…
Women, Peace, and Security: Is DOD Turning a Human Rights Corner?
The push to protect women and girls in conflict and involve women in security decision-making increases attention to human rights in military operations.
Anticipating the Human Costs of Great Power Conflict
Conspicuously absent from policy and planning documents about great power conflict is a clear-eyed assessment of the likely human costs of such a conflict or considerations for…
An Enduring Impasse on Autonomous Weapons
Are existing international laws sufficient or are new legal rules needed to codify the “human element” in the use of force?
Extrajudicial Executions from the United States to Palestine
Israel’s “shoot-to-kill policy,” based on racialization and dehumanization of Palestinians, and the militarized U.S. response to Black uprisings, are the manifestations of…
Oxford Statement on the International Law Protections Against Cyber Operations Targeting the Health Care Sector
In advance of Friday, May 22 Arria-Formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
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,…
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…
The Yemen Project: Open Source Investigations and the Law of War
An unprecedented open source investigation aids the legal analysis of allegedly unlawful strikes by the Saudi-led coalition, but also has limits in reaching legal conclusions under…