UN Charter

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Iranians march across a bridge on January 5, 2020 in the northwestern city of Ahvaz to pay homage to top general Qasem Soleimani, after he was killed in a US strike in Baghdad.

Iran’s Leaders Preserve the Republic With a Hybrid of International and Islamic Law

The rhetorical strategy allows them to address the world and Iranians at the same time, while passing on different messages.
Marik String on July 24 2019 at a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing.

What the State Department Legal Adviser Promised Congress on Iran

Will Mr. Marik String keep his word?
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sits with Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft at the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly on September 24, 2019 in New York City.

U.S. Legal Defense of the Soleimani Strike at the United Nations: A Critical Assessment

A critical annotation of the principal claims in the United States' formal letter to the U.N. justifying the Soleimani strike.
Trump speaks from the White House on January 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. Pence, Pompeo, Esper and others stand around him.

Lawful Self-Defense vs. Revenge Strikes: Scrutinizing Iran and U.S. Uses of Force under International Law

Here's what Congress should examine to determine if the U.S. strike complied with the law that we as a nation and our military champion. The same law that applies to Iran's actions.
Iranians gather around a vehicle carrying the coffins of slain major general Qassem Soleimani and others, as they pay homage in the northeastern city of Mashhad on January 5, 2020.

The Targeted Killing of General Soleimani: Its Lawfulness and Why It Matters

Analyzing the killing of Soleimani from an international law standpoint matters a great deal. Reasserting the primacy of international law in such times of crisis is a solemn and…
Side by side images of the remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport and the strike in the dark sky.

Iran’s Unlawful Reprisal (and Ours)

"By Iran’s own standard, last night’s operation was unlawful." So was the US strike on Soleimani. Time to stop this cycle of unilateral illegal acts.
silhouette and target

Soleimani Strike Marks a Novel Shift in Targeted Killing, Dangerous to the Global Order

"President Donald Trump’s decision to target Soleimani ... brings the signature technique of the so-called 'war on terror' – the targeted killing of individuals outside any…
Side by side photos of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport.

United States Killed Iraqi Military Official and Iraqi Military Personnel in the Two Recent Attacks

"If these dimensions of the unfolding events are not properly understood by U.S. decision makers and the media, the currently highly volatile situation—between the United States,…
A woman walks by a crater cause by a car bomb explosion in the town of Suluk in Syria's Turkish-controlled Tal Abyad border region on November 10, 2019, in which Ankara said at least eight people were killed and more than 20 wounded.

Turkey’s Syria Invasion: German Research Report Says Illegal on All Counts

A German parliamentary research report serves as an important reminder that evidence and proportionality matter, and that exceptions to the prohibition of the use of force should…
A collage of photos from the founding of the UN between April and June of 1945.

“Clearly of Latin American Origin”: Armed Attack by Non-State Actors and the UN Charter

"The text, context, and preparatory work of Article 51 of the Charter show that it permits only the use of armed force in self-defense against an armed attack by a State."
Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido waves to the crowd during a mass opposition rally against leader Nicolas Maduro in which he declared himself the country's "acting president", on the anniversary of a 1958 uprising that overthrew military dictatorship, in Caracas on January 23, 2019.

The Rio Treaty: Paving the Way for Military Intervention in Venezuela?

Renewed focus on the presence of terrorist groups in Venezuela, and the Maduro regime’s involvement with such groups, suggest that the ground is being paved for a potential military…
Cyber operations on mission in the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade operations center at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Reassessing U.S. Cyber Operations Against Iran and the Use of Force

"There is good reason to conclude the United States may have crossed the use of force threshold with this cyber operation."
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