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WEST BANK - APRIL 21, 2003: View of the concrete separation wall between the Palestinian city of Tol Karem and Israel, April 21, 2003. (Photo by Shaul Schwarz/ Getty Images)

Preliminary but Necessary: The Question of the Applicability of the Notion of Apartheid to Occupied Territory

Does the prohibition of apartheid apply to occupied territory? Marco Longobardo analyzes how laws of war, human rights, occupation, and against racial discrimination intersect.…
Members of the security forces walking at the site of a NATO airstrike which destroyed two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Kunduz on September 4, 2009.

Kunduz Airstrike Before European Court of Human Rights: Future of Jurisdiction and Duty to Investigate

The future of European Human Rights Court's jurisdiction and the future of States' duty to investigate civilian casualties in wartime.
A banner with the ICRC emblem on it.

Targeted Killing of General Soleimani: Why the Laws of War Should Apply, and Why it Matters

In her thought provoking and thorough piece, Agnes Callamard addresses – among many other issues – the question whether the US strike against General Qassem Soleimani was subject…
An 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief launches a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during Exercise Operation Varsity 19-01 on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Feb. 28, 2019.

Legal Explainer: German Court Reins in Support for U.S. Drone Strikes

Unpacking the legal issues discussed in this major decision by German court.
Tear gas is fired by Israeli forces at Palestinian protestors during a demonstration near the fence along the border with Israel, east of Gaza City, on February 8, 2019.

Report of the Independent UN Commission of Inquiry on Gaza Strip – An Initial Evaluation of a Problematic Report

Bottom line up front: "The Commission chose to infer far reaching conclusions from the limited evidence before it, thus discrediting much that should be appreciated in the report."

Accountability Fatigue: A Human Rights Law Problem for Armed Forces?

Brigadier-General (ret.) Ken Watkin in conversation with General (ret.) David Petraeus' remarks about human rights law and military policies.
Just Security

Addendum to My “Memo to the Human Rights Community” (on drone strikes outside of “hot battlefields”)

On Wednesday, I published an essay at Just Security titled, “Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside “Areas of Active Hostilities” (A Memo to the Human Rights…

Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside “Areas of Active Hostilities” (A Memo to the Human Rights Community)

Reports that the White House is poised to revise a four-year old set of policy restrictions on drone strikes and other lethal operations has generated a heated debate that turns…

Three Half-Truths on U.S. Lethal Operations and Policy Constraints

Late last week, Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt of the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump might soon adopt a new policy on U.S. lethal operations outside hot warzones.…

Aggression, Armed Conflict, and the Right to Life: Does UN Human Rights Committee Get it Right?

Is it possible to respect the human right to life in the context of war? Or does war, by its very nature, involve the arbitrary deprivation of life? Last month, the United Nations…
Just Security

Human Rights Law is the Legal Basis for Use of Force Against Non-State Armed Groups—But What Follows?

In recent weeks there have been two significant and related debates on Just Security about the justification for the use of force against non-state armed groups and the place of…
Just Security

The Laws of War: Their Nature and Moral Function

In his final address on issues of war and peace, President Obama reminds us all that “[w]e are a nation that stands for the rule of law, and strengthen[s] the laws of war.”…
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