Syria
553 Articles
International Law Roundup: Part III
In addition to discussing developments at the international criminal tribunals, addressed in Parts I and II of this series, the IHL Dialogs also offered insights into human rights…
Why Trump’s Aid Cuts to Syria, Gaza and West Bank Heighten Risk to U.S.
The Trump administration recently announced, in a cascade of shortsighted decisions, that it will cut at least $700 million in aid to Syria and to the West Bank and Gaza, some…
Condolence Payments for Civilian Casualties: Lessons for Applying the New NDAA
The new National Defense Authorization Act can help improve the way the U.S. responds to civilian casualties. FOIA requests and interviews with DoD officials, U.S. soldiers, judge…
“ISIS Widows” and “Boko Haram Wives”: Overlooked Abuses in Iraq and Nigeria
Thousands of displaced women in Iraq and Nigeria have been arbitrarily branded as affiliated with IS or Boko Haram, and subjected to abuse as a result. Almost 400 in-depth interviews…
US Military Admits It Killed Dozens More Civilians Than Previously Acknowledged. Now What?
In June and July, the US-led Coalition of countries fighting the armed group calling itself the Islamic State admitted that reports of civilian casualties it had previously dismissed…
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…