UN Charter

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A satellite image of the site of the Feb 2021 US airstrike in Syria.

Legal Questions (and Some Answers) Concerning the U.S. Military Strike in Syria

Unpacking the right of self-defense under international law when it comes to use of force in response to a series of attacks.
World flags in front of the United Nations building

The Definition of Aggression and Self-Defense

Exactly forty-six years ago, on December 14, 1974, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by consensus, the Definition of Aggression, “the most serious and dangerous form…
A RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow Missile (NSSM) is fired from the forward launcher aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during a live-fire exercise.

Revisiting the Office of Legal Counsel’s Override Opinion

A critical analysis of 1989 OLC Opinion that would allow President to use force in violation of UN Charter and without Congressional support.

Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: End Unlawful, Secret, and Unaccountable Use of Lethal Force

A core component of post-9/11 counterterrorism policy has been the use of secretive and unaccountable killings of terrorism suspects. The killings must stop. Here's how the president…
A woman carries jerry cans to fill them up with water at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp for the displaced where families of Islamic State (IS) foreign fighters are held, in the al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria on December 9, 2019.

Despite US Veto, Desperate ISIS Suspects and Families Remain at Risk

There is good news and bad news from the recent UN Security Council vote on a dangerously flawed draft resolution on so-called “foreign terrorist fighters."
Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Alberto Arreaza holds the Charter of the United Nations during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Caracas, on January 28, 2019.

The UN Charter’s Original Effect on State Sovereignty and the Use of Force

In 1945, not all states were UN members and not all territories were states: Dehn explains how use of force and self-defense rights under the Charter reflect these different statuses…
Empty UN Security Council chamber.

The UN Security Council Is About to Dangerously Undermine Fair Trial Guarantees

Dangerous flaws in a current draft U.N. Security Council resolution on foreign fighters need to be addressed, if the Security Council is to live up to its responsibility to respect…
A woman wearing a niqab (full face veil) walks carrying an infant at al-Hol camp for displaced people in al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria on July 22, 2019, as people collect UN-provided humanitarian aid packages.

The Challenges of a New UN Security Council Resolution on Foreign Fighters

The United Nations Security Council is actively negotiating a new Chapter VII resolution directed at the regulation of so-called “foreign terrorist fighters” this month. The…
A spaceship in space.

A Threat or A Warning: Russia’s Weapons Testing in Space

Are there rules governing the use of weapons in space? A well-established framework of international law centered on the Outer Space Treaty (OST), to which all major spacefaring…
General Assembly Seventy-third session High-level plenary meeting to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the International Labour Organization. Vice President held virtually.

The UN Cannot Live on Past Laurels: The Time for Courageous Leadership on Anti-Black Racism Is Now

The U.N. and its specialized agencies must take action to redress anti-Black racism within and beyond its institutional walls.
Norway signs the United Nations Charter and other country representatives stand behind at the The San Francisco Conference, 25 April - 26 June 1945.

The United Nations Charter at 75: Between Force and Self-Defense — Part Two

A more complete view of the UN Charter explains why there are no unwritten exceptions to the prohibition of force.
Norway signs the United Nations Charter and other country representatives stand behind at the The San Francisco Conference, 25 April - 26 June 1945.

The United Nations Charter at 75: Between Force and Self-Defense — Part One

As we celebrate the Charter’s seventy-fifth birthday, a deep dive into its negotiating history shows that the right of self-defense under Article 51 is triggered by an act of…
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