UN Charter
217 Articles

Time for the Biden Administration to Disavow the Dangerous Soleimani Legal Opinions
The legal opinions' fundamental error: distorting accepted legal framework to fit inapposite facts. Still on the book, the opinions remain a loaded weapon for another president…

On Empathy, Scholarship, and Political Action: A Response to Lahmann
The situation on Belarus's borders sparks a debate on the appropriate path for international legal scholars. The latest from Aurel Sari and Ben Hudson.

Stirring Trouble at the Border: Is Belarus in Violation of International Law? – Part 1
Belarus has been criticized for using desperate migrants to pressure EU borders. But is it breaking international law by doing so?

In Afghanistan, Lest We Forget
As the UN Security Council hosts an emergency meeting, world leaders must understand what the abandonment of the Afghan people involves.

Self-Defense Against Non-State Actors: All Over the Map
Insights from UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting

Knowns and Unknowns of US Syria Strike: Looming Int’l and Domestic Law Issues
Key legal questions that remain unanswered about the legality of the Syria strike under domestic and international law.

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.

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…

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…

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."

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…