Law of Neutrality
Self-Defence, the Principle of Due Diligence, and the Law of Neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Russia’s (unlawful) aggression against Ukraine, and the international armed conflict that it has triggered, raises many novel questions concerning the interpretation and application of international law. In this post, I want to focus on the law of self-defence as...
The Law of Neutrality in Situations of Belligerent Occupation
Today, very few situations of belligerent occupation exist. Yet, in a recent advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) analyzed international legal obligations that stem from belligerent occupation, including those respecting offers of humanitarian...
When Belligerent Drones Knock on Neutral Waters: Archipelagic Sea Lanes in the Age of Kamikaze Systems
In 2024 to 2025, escalating tensions between Israel and Iran saw waves of missiles and drones cross regional skies. Jordan, a neutral (non-belligerent) State, intercepted many of these projectiles as they entered its airspace. From an international law perspective,...
On Robert Kolb’s Advanced Introduction to International Humanitarian Law, Second Edition
This post provides select reflections based upon the experience of writing the second edition of my book, Advanced Introduction to International Humanitarian Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2025). I wrote the book as an “advanced” introduction, in the sense that it does...
Asia’s Melian Moment
Prior to the siege of Melos, the Melians argued that they had the right to remain neutral when the Athenians demanded their surrender. The famous dialogue depicted by Thucydides in the History of the Peloponnesian War illustrates political realism in international...
The So-Called Principle of Equal Treatment of Belligerents by the Neutral State
Conventional legal wisdom says neutral States owe belligerents equality of treatment (see for example here, p. 282–84, here, p. 237, and here, p. 466). This is largely inaccurate, however. What’s more, it is astonishing how persistently some cling to this erroneous...
Clarifying Neutrality: The Rise of Different Statuses?
With the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, one can witness the rebirth of a classical topic of international law: the law of neutrality. Some argue that neutrality is “obsolete.” An alternative perspective is that a new kind of neutrality, called “qualified...
Dilemmas of Defense: The U.S. Role in the Iran-Israel Conflict
On April 13, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out an unprecedented operation, launching hundreds of drones and cruise missiles toward Israel. Reports indicate that Israel intercepted the majority of these drones and missiles with assistance from the United...
Ukraine Symposium – North Korea’s Entry into International Armed Conflict
In recent months, the world has observed the methodical introduction of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict (IAC). On June 19, 2024, President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader, Kim...
Lieber Workshop 2024: International Law and the Future of Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific
Editors’ note: The views expressed in this post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of any other workshop participants. From October 28 to 31, 2024, the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare hosted its eighth annual Lieber Workshop at its institutional...
