Syria
524 Articles
Two Important New Civilian Casualties Provisions in the Defense Authorization Bill
Draft text of the annual defense authorization bill contains two important provisions related to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.
The Challenge of Foreign Assistance for Anti-ISIS Detention Operations
New York Times reporter Charlie Savage last week gave readers a fascinating look inside the makeshift detention facilities where the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)…
U.S.-Russia Military Coop: Sec. Mattis Doesn’t Need Congress’ Permission, But Congress Has Control Options
"Some misunderstanding persists about the scope of the statutory prohibition on bilateral military-to-military cooperation with Russia, the relatively straightforward requirements…
Concerning the Congressional Prohibition on U.S.-Russia Bilateral Military Cooperation
[Editor’s Note from Ryan Goodman: On Thursday, I wrote about a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, which stipulates that no funds may be “used for…
Does a Years’ Old Congressional Statute Prevent a Trump-Putin Agreement for Military Cooperation?
"Pentagon officials may feel a sense of security that the congressional statute forecloses certain options. But does it?"
Overdue US Admission that Civilians Were Killed in Syria Strike Is Still Insufficient
It finally admitted to it. After months of denying that any civilians died, the United States-led coalition in Syria has finally recognized that its strike on a boarding school…
Syria: Where Civilians Became a Commodity for Settling Accounts
As long as military operations are seen as a solution to the problem in Syria, there can be no hope for parties to come together to establish peace in Syria. Meanwhile, the civilians…
OLC’s Formal (and Remarkably Broad) Defense of the April Syria Strikes
This morning, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel posted a formal, 22-page opinion, concluding that the April 13 airstrikes on Syria were lawful.
Self-Defense Against Self-Defense, In Syria And Beyond
For many years, the United States and some of its allies have taken the view that one state (say, one of them) may use armed force on the territory of another state (say, Pakistan…
Senator Merkley’s Smart New Alternative AUMF Proposal
Yesterday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new proposal for an authorization to use military force, or “AUMF.” As Merkley explained in last week’s AUMF hearing before…
The Latin American View of Jus ad Bellum
For the past few weeks, Rebecca Ingber, Elvina Pothelet, Priya Pillai and I have been engaged in the task of systematizing State reactions to the April 14 air strikes carried out…
A View from a Syrian International Lawyer: Were the April 14 Strikes Legal?
On April 14, the United States, the United Kingdom and France conducted air strikes in Syria in response to the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma.…