Syria

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Tragic Mistakes: Breaking the Military Culture of Impunity

How framing civilian harm in U.S. military operations -- as a “tragic mistake” -- hides the systemic failure that requires institutional reform.
Just Security

Questions on the Baghuz Strikes

A list of specific questions for members of Congress, reporters, and investigators to ask about the strike. 
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (commonly known as a drone) flown by 163d Attack Wing pilot Lt. Col. Paul Brockmeier, with sensor operator Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez (neither shown), views the smoky San Gabriel Mountains of southern California in transit to a fire mission in northern California, late August, 2020.

The Longest War is Over the Horizon

"The sheer number of over-the-horizon operations in the past two decades indicates significant mission creep in the war on terror."
Diane Foley, the mother of slain ISIS hostage James Foley, stands alongside the parents of slain ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller, Carl Mueller and Marsha Mueller, and family members of 2 other slain ISIS hostages, following the guilty pleas by Alexanda Kotey, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the "Beatles," to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages, including Mueller and Foley, outside the the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, September 2, 2021.

Impact-Based Jurisdiction and Crimes Against Humanity Statutes Are Needed for Effective Accountability

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.
A displaced Syrian family breaks their fast together for the sunset "iftar" meal during Ramadan. They sit in the middle of the rubble of their destroyed home. May 4, 2020, Ariha, Idlib province

The UN Has Options Beyond the Security Council for Cross-Border Aid to Syria

Security Council approval for cross-border aid expires July 10. Can the UN continue aid operations without Council authorization?
A boy sits among women awaiting departure during the release of another group of Syrian families from the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds suspected relatives of Islamic State (IS) group fighters, in Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria, on January 28, 2021.

Gendering the Boy Child in the Context of Counterterrorism: The Situation of Boys in Northeast Syria

Much has been written about the gender of terrorism, and counterterrorism, including by myself. In much of that writing, there is a tendency to elide “gender” analysis with…
Members of the Civil defence removing the remnants of a rocket reportedly fired by regime forces on the outskirts of the rebel-held besieged Syrian town of Douma in the eastern Ghouta region. They wear gas masks as they work. February 1, 2018

The Eroding Norms Against Chemical Weapons Use Will Need More Than Another Syria Censure to Survive

A challenge inspection and an expanded mandate for a new investigations team are among options to halt the global backsliding.
People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 23 marks one year since the start of the Syrian torture trial in Koblenz, Germany. It has already offered some preliminary lessons for future “universal jurisdiction”…
A U.S. soldier mans a gun at the back gate aboard the helicopter carrying U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis as he arrives via helicopter at Resolute Support headquarters on April 24, 2017 in in Kabul, Afghanistan.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (April 9-16)

US and NATO Plan to Withdraw Troops from Afghanistan; Taliban Withdraws from Planned Peace Talks in Istanbul President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he plans to begin withdrawing…
EU High Representative and Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Fontelles addresses the ministerial portion of the Brussels V Conference, March 30, 2021

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (March 26 – April 2)

EU, UN Conduct Brussels V Pledging Conference on Syria Crisis; Secretary of State Blinken Urges Security Council to Increase Humanitarian Access in Syria On March 29-30, the European…
A crowded prison cell in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019. Men accused of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group sit and lay on the floor close together. There does not appear to be an empty floor space.

A Tribunal for ISIS Fighters – A National Security and Human Rights Emergency

There is an immediate need to triage a coordinated response to the ongoing detention of roughly 10,000 ISIS fighters and 60,000 women and children in northeast Syria.
A screen shot from the UN Security Council’s Arria-Formula meeting on February 24, 2021 held via Zoom.

Self-Defense Against Non-State Actors: All Over the Map

Insights from UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting
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