Syria

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Smoke billowing out following a coalition air strike in the western al-Daraiya neighbourhood of the embattled northern Syrian city of Raqa on September 5, 2017.

New Pentagon Report Significantly Undercounts Civilian Casualties

The latest annual report was on time and included more details than it had in the past, thanks to additional congressional requirements. But it still significantly undercounts…
A woman wears a mask and holds a banner reading "Chemical massacre in Syria" on August 28, 2013 outside the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, during a demonstration against the mass killings in Syria. The poster also shows photos of children that died.

What is a War Crime?

A substantive approach to defining "war crimes" as serious violations of international humanitarian law could help bring a measure of justice in Syria and beyond.
Assyrian Christians, who had fled the unrest in Syria and Iraq, attend a prayer for the 220 Assyrian Christians abducted by Islamic State group jihadists from villages in northeastern Syria in recent days, at the Saint Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, northeast of the Lebanese capital Beirut on February 26, 2015. One person holds a sign reading, “Assyrian Genocide 1915 Never Again!”

Accountability for War Crimes in Syria: The “Criminalization” Confusion

A new approach to defining what constitutes a "war crime" is needed to ensure domestic courts can provide accountability for war crimes committed in Syria.
Security Council meeting on The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

An Insider’s View of the Life-Cycle of Self-Defense Reports by U.N. Member States

Important essay by Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Legal Adviser of the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations, written in his personal capacity. Diverging State views…
United Nations Security Council meeting on January 25, 2019 at the United Nations in New York.

National Security at the United Nations This Week

Editors’ Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
EU Commissioner for migration and home affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos, speaks during his visit at Europol in The Hague on June 28, 2018.

Domestic Courts Step Up: Justice for Syria One Case at a Time

Further to Ryan Goodman’s recent post on the United States’ welcome support for the German request for the extradition of a high-level Syrian suspect, I have just finished…
Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) (C) speaks as Syrian Army defector "Caesar," who has smuggled out of Syria more than 50,000 photographs that document the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents, listens through an interpreter during a briefing before House Foreign Affairs Committee July 31, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photos in the background show disturbing images of the torture and deaths.

BREAKING: United States Supports Germany’s International Arrest Warrant for Accused Syrian War Criminal

"On Tuesday, the United States government issued a statement supporting Germany’s request to Lebanon to extradite a high-ranking Syrian official accused of war crimes and crimes…
Cars wait 02 October 2004 at a checkpoint at the Syrian-Iraqi border point of Al-Tanf, 270kms northeast of Damascus.

What’s the Mission in Syria? The Answer May be Illegal and Without U.S. Allies’ Support

Statements about a US "peacekeeping" force and a mission to counter-Iran raise serious legal questions and threaten to unravel U.S. allies' support for future U.S. operations inside…
United Nations Security Council meeting on January 25, 2019 at the United Nations in New York.

National Security at the United Nations This Week

Trump continues his search for a US Ambassador to the UN, the Minsk Accords are in trouble, Yemen sees progress in implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, and more.
Women and children sit crammed into the back of a truck while they flee the Islamic State (IS) group's embattled holdout of Baghouz on February 14, 2019.

When Human Trafficking and Terrorism Connect: Dangers and Dilemmas

The increasing emphasis at the UN and elsewhere on the connections between terrorism and human trafficking raises complex legal and policy issues, including how to determine whether…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), confer during a ceremony awarding former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole the Congressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol on January 17, 2017 in Washington, DC.

So This Is What Congress’ Getting Involved in Foreign Affairs Looks Like

Analysts and scholars have long wondered what it would look like if Congress reasserted itself in foreign affairs.  It’s a role that Just Security Founding Editor (and my former…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R_KY) is trailed by reporters after speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate on January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Does the McConnell amendment provide a justification for military operations against Iran?

The Senate’s rebuke of President Trump announcing a precipitous withdrawal from Syria creates dangerous ambiguity as to whether confronting Iran should be considered part of…
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