UN Charter
185 Articles
The United Nations in Hindsight: The Increasing Use of Article 51 of the UN Charter and the Security Council
Reports required under Article 51 are crucial for the UNSC to assess disputed self-defense claims and ensure accountability and maintain peace.
Legally Available Options in Response to Russia’s Penetrations of NATO Airspace
"International law, in its wisdom, makes such options legally available."
At the Coming U.N. Leaders Meetings: Existential Questions on the U.S. Role, Israel-Palestine, and the U.N. Itself
This year's General Assembly meeting may do more to spotlight the U.N.’s current weaknesses than help find solutions to them.
Striking Hamas in Qatar: “Unwilling or Unable”?
Leading legal expert analyzes the Israeli airstrike on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar.
Striking Drug Cartels Under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict
Analysis of laws of war and law on the resort to armed force in U.S. military action against Tren de Aragua.
Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean
The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on a purported drug smuggling vessel – and its vow that it is the start of a campaign – raise significant legal issues.
Climate-Vulnerable States Vindicated in the Hague: A First Look at the International Court of Justice’s Climate Advisory Opinion
With this unanimous opinion, the ICJ has taken a clear stand in favor of a coherent and equitable international legal response to climate change.
Assessing the U.S. Article 51 Letter for the Attack on Iran: Legal Lipstick on the Use of Force Pig
Former State Department attorney analyzes U.S. letter to UN Security Council that presented legal arguments for U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Indefensible: Israel’s Unlawful Attack on Iran
Part of our ongoing series on the Israel-Iran war.
A New War or a New Stage in an Ongoing War – Observations on June 13 Israeli Attack against Iran
"Another legal framework – the ongoing armed conflict framework – is more factually and legally viable than the anticipatory or preventive self-defense frameworks."
International Law at the Precipice: Holding Leaders Accountable for the Crime of Aggression in Russia’s War Against Ukraine
The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine cannot be treated as a bargaining chip in negotiations to end hostilities.
Negotiations at Gunpoint: Does U.S. Pressure on Ukraine for a Minerals Deal Amount to Unlawfully Procuring a Treaty by Use of Force?
Coercion leveraged by the U.S. to secure Ukrainian mineral resources could be deemed use of force, rendering any resulting treaty void.