Unlawful Combatants
10 Articles
Protecting Civilians in Good Faith: A Joint Symposium on the Updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention
Expert authors examine key interpretive issues and selected topics in the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention on protection of civilians during civil war.
Technology and the ICRC’s GC IV 2025 Commentary
Surveys how the 2025 ICRC GC IV Commentary integrates technology into its analysis of specific rules, while raising concerns about its treatment of data as property.
“Significantly Diminished”: Commenting Anew on Article 23 of Geneva Convention IV in a Transformed Legal Context
New Commentary on GC IV describes Article 23—the treaty’s key provision governing the duty to allow the passage of essentials to civilians—as "significantly diminished" today.
Closing Loopholes Across Time: the ICRC’s New Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention
The ICRC's updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention fills a loophole-closing function and reasserts international humanitarian law's core protective purpose.
The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part III
Tess Bridgeman is joined by Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane to assess the latest strikes, the brief detention of two survivors, where the campaign may be headed, and what…
The Khadr Appeal [UPDATE: and the Hicks Appeal]
In October 2010, Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to four violations of the Military Commissions Act of 2009. Khadr, who is presently serving out his sentence in Canada, has now appealed…
Debate (Round 1): Against the Notion of Competing Legal Frameworks in the “War on Terror”
This post is the third in a series from Gabor Rona, Geoffrey Corn, and Just Security’s Derek Jinks. The debate addresses a fundamental question for US national security law:…
Debate (Round 1): The Military Component of Counter-Terror Operations
This post is the second in a series from Gabor Rona, Geoffrey Corn, and Just Security’s Derek Jinks. The debate addresses a fundamental question for US national security…
Unprivileged Does Not Mean Prohibited
In his latest post, Ryan takes issue with those who argue that it would violate international law for a state civilian agency, such as the CIA, to use force in an armed conflict. …
Good Reasons May Exist to Close CIA Drone Program—But Claim that CIA Agents are “Unprivileged Belligerents” is Not One of Them
Senator John McCain has vowed to accelerate the effort to transition control of drone operations from the CIA to the Pentagon, and he will likely have support from top Senate Democrats.…
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