United Nations (UN)
1,338 Articles

“Just fall, that is all!” Is Sudan on the Brink of Change?
Sudan has entered the third month of widespread and sustained protests across the country, and there is now some indication that President Omar al-Bashir’s grip on power is weakening.…

What’s the Mission in Syria? The Answer May be Illegal and Without U.S. Allies’ Support
Statements about a US "peacekeeping" force and a mission to counter-Iran raise serious legal questions and threaten to unravel U.S. allies' support for future U.S. operations inside…

National Security at the United Nations This Week
Trump continues his search for a US Ambassador to the UN, the Minsk Accords are in trouble, Yemen sees progress in implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, and more.

When Human Trafficking and Terrorism Connect: Dangers and Dilemmas
The increasing emphasis at the UN and elsewhere on the connections between terrorism and human trafficking raises complex legal and policy issues, including how to determine whether…

World Court Rules on Iran Challenge to US Suits for Acts of Terrorism: An Explainer
Key takeaways from the International Court of Justice's judgment in the case of "Certain Iranian Assets": some of Iran's claims against the U.S. over billions of dollars in terrorism-related…

Human Rights Law and U.S. Military Operations in Foreign Countries: The Prohibition on Arbitrary Deprivation of Life
The view that the U.S. government does not accept that international human rights law applies to US activities in foreign countries is mistaken., writes Goodman. The Department…

National Security at the United Nations This Week
At the UN this week: ISIL remains a global threat, the US and Russia draft rival Security Council resolutions on Venezuela, the UN welcomes a new peace accord in the Central African…

ICC Judge Schmitt Counsels Resilience to Preserve International Justice
Editor’s note: At a difficult time for the International Criminal Court (ICC)—criticism over recent rulings, resistance from current and prospective members, and threats from…

General Comment 36: A Missed Opportunity?
General Comment 36 on the human right to life under article 6 of the ICCPR adopts the view that both international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL) apply during…

National Security at the United Nations This Week
This week at the UN: detention of Turkic Muslims in China, the potential end of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, North Korean sanctions violations, a call to action…

Gendered Security and the Right to Life: Analysis of UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment
UN human rights body goes far in recognizing how gender and women's rights intersect with (national) security issues, but far enough?

Targeted Killing and the Right to Life: A Structural Framework
Shaheed Fatima Q.C., analyzes the recently issued "General Comment 36" of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which sets forth a legal framework under human rights law for…