United Nations (UN)
1,347 Articles

Freedom of Expression and the Digital Access Industry: Five Key Takeaways
The Internet, a historically unparalleled source of information and expression, has also become a playground for censorship, punishment and propaganda. Not a day goes by where…

Fatally Flawed Anti-Torture Assurances
An man detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2005 After September 11, the United States and other countries heavily relied on diplomatic assurances as counterterrorism tools to legally…

Army Chief is Fired in South Sudan: A Turning Point for Peace?
South Sudan President Salva Kiir surprised both South Sudanese citizens and regional analysts by firing Army Chief of Staff Paul Malong — arguably the most divisive public figure…

Yemeni Human Rights Activist Radhya Al-Mutawakel’s Speech to the UN Security Council
Yesterday, leading human rights defender Radhya Almutawakel, the Chairperson of the Yemeni NGO, Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, briefed the UN Security Council on the war…
Recap of Recent Posts on Just Security (May 20-26)
I. Foreign Policy Michael Posner, Tillerson’s Degradation of Human Rights Mustn’t–and Can’t Yet–be Executive Branch Policy (Monday, May 22) Sydney Blumenthal, What…

Civil Liberties and Human Rights Groups Urge Ambassadors on the UN Security Council to Support Yemeni Civil Society
International and U.S.-based civil liberties and human rights groups are urging Ambassadors on the United Nations Security Council to take action to support Yemeni civil society,…

On Israeli Airstrikes in Syria—Lawful and No Need for Transparency
In his post “Israeli Airstrikes in Syria: The International Law Analysis You Won’t Find,” Asaf Lubin is perplexed by the dearth of discussion by what he describes as jus…

Fighting to Protect Children in Conflict
When the United States ordered retaliation in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons in Idlib, President Donald Trump spoke of “innocent children, innocent babies, little…

Wallet as Weapon: the Coming US Assault on the International Human Rights System
These days, the Trump administration is not just threatening human rights with executive orders, tomahawk missiles and tweets. It is also wielding the government’s wallet as…

On N. Korea: Calling on Congress and the President’s Advisers to Defend the Constitution
For those of us who had hoped Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the president’s national security advisor, would make up for the inexperience and curb…

UN Counterterrorism Reform Overlooks Crucial Partner
Only a few weeks into his tenure as UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has been under pressure to fix the UN’s efforts to deal with terrorism and violent extremism. The…

The ICJ Issues Provisional Measures Against Russia on Ukraine’s Racial Discrimination Claims
Russian media are reporting that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “rejected” Ukraine’s request for provisional measures against the Russian Federation in the case…