Syria
544 Articles
Not to be Forgotten: The Case of Maher Arar
In the midst of our ongoing coverage of the content of, and fall out from, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee Report, and debates about the obligation to devise some form…
What the Cold War Can Teach Us About Containing ISIL
Editors’ Note: The following post is the latest installment of “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor takes an in-depth look at the big stories…
New Paths to Accountability for Crimes in Syria and Iraq (Including ICC Jurisdiction Over Foreign Fighters)
Horrific crimes in Syria during the Syrian Civil War and more recent ones in Iraq have led to widespread frustration at the present lack of a clear accountability mechanism. …
An Obligation to Prevent Rebel Groups from Committing Atrocities
It’s no secret that several nations (including the United States) are arming or otherwise supporting rebel groups in Syria, and that Russia is doing the same in eastern Ukraine.…
Bad Timing: The US, Iran, and the East Africa Embassy Bombing Judgement
Yesterday, a US judge awarded victims of the Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania $622 million in damages against the governments of Sudan and Iran. It is important to see justice…
Authorizing Force: A Review of Turkish, Dutch and French Action
As the number of states using military force against ISIS in Syria and Iraq have increased, a series of domestic authorizations have emerged from their national executives and…
CIA Report: Giving Rebels Weapons Without Direct Support Rarely Helps
This morning, the New York Times ran a story about an internal CIA study commissioned in the last two years that found the agency’s historic efforts to arm rebels have had a…
The Arming of Syrian Rebels – Does it Breach the Arms Trade Treaty?
The United Nations’ landmark Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) recently received its fiftieth ratification — the number required to trigger its entry into force on Dec. 24, 2014.…
It’s Time to do Something About Syria’s Other Chemical Weapons
With all eyes on ISIS, concerns about Syria’s chemical weapons program have faded from public view. But recent confirmation of the use of chlorine gas in Syria and the discovery…
The Wrong (and Right) Lessons Re: Congressional Inaction on ISIL
Editors’ Note: The following post is the fifth installment of a new feature, “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor will take an…
Assessing the Claim that ISIL is a Successor to Al Qaeda—Part 2 (Organizational Goals)
The key question we are asking in this (two-part) series of posts is whether Congress’ 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) applies to ISIL. More precisely, we…
Sustaining the War Effort: Targeting Islamic State Oil Facilities
Much of the legal analysis about the United States and its coalition partners’ airstrikes in Syria to date has concentrated on whether such strikes are lawful. The commencement…