Articles of War
Statehood in Conflict Classification: Revisiting Recognition in Contemporary IHL
After more than a decade since the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and the independence and admission of South Sudan into the United Nations, there has been another rise in the practice of recognition of statehood, chiefly in response to the Gaza War,...
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Modern Attack Balloons and the 1907 Hague Balloons Declaration
In the days leading up to the 1812 Battle of Borodino, Russia devised a plan to float a large shark-shaped hot air balloon over French forces to drop explosives. The balloon could not be made ready in time for the battle. When later ready, it collapsed as it left its...
Dual-Use Objects and Dual-Purpose Attacks
Editors’ note: This post highlights work in the author’s recent chapter, “Objective and Subjective Tests for Determining Violations of the Law of...
Haiti’s Gang Violence and the Armed Conflict Threshold: An IHL Analysis
Haiti’s armed violence and humanitarian crisis remain acute. Armed gangs control significant territory, reportedly perpetrating killings, sexual...
Warification and the Illusion of Precision: AI, Targeting, and Increasing Civilian Harm
Editors’ note: This post features analysis included in the authors’ recently published article, “The Warification of International Humanitarian Law...
Unity in Principle, Variation in Practice: European Approaches to Meaningful Human Control for LAWS
Editors' note: This is the fifth post in a series dedicated to Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and the questions of human oversight and...
Targeting in the Swiss Army
Many members of the press and media are generally uninformed, dismissive, and even sneer at matters related to international humanitarian law (IHL)....
Revisiting Application of Jus ad Bellum during an Ongoing International Armed Conflict
The relationship between the existence of an international armed conflict (IAC) and the legality of the use of force under the jus ad bellum (JAB)...
Human Responsibility Retained: U.S. Positions on Judgment and Oversight for LAWS
Editors’ note: This is the fourth post in a series dedicated to Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and the questions of human oversight and...
Patriotic War: Total Defence, Resistance, and Additional Protocol I
Russia’s clear aggression towards Ukraine and its thinly veiled “hybrid war” against its other European neighbours has rightly caused alarm amongst...
Modern Attack Balloons and the 1907 Hague Balloons Declaration
In the days leading up to the 1812 Battle of Borodino, Russia devised a plan to float a large shark-shaped hot air balloon over French forces to...
Nuclear Weapons Part IV – A Postscript
Editors’ note: This is the fourth of a four-part post on legal considerations applicable to nuclear weapons. The first three posts in this series...
A Matter of Principle(s)? Acquiescence in International Humanitarian Law
Like hidden bunkers blended in the landscape, the operation of general principles of law in international humanitarian law (IHL) is not conspicuous...
Guilty Unless Proven Innocent: A Critique of Ali Kushayb Judgment
In its recent judgment, the International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Ali Kushayb of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity. A Janjaweed...
