When Cartels Fight Back: El Mencho and the NIAC Question in Mexico

When Cartels Fight Back: El Mencho and the NIAC Question in Mexico

by , | Mar 23, 2026 | AoW Posts, Blog, Conflict Classification, Targeting

When Cartels Fight Back: El Mencho and the NIAC Question in Mexico On February 22, 2026, Mexican Army Special Forces launched a pre-dawn raid on a gated residential compound in Tapalpa, a mountainous municipality in the Western state of Jalisco. Their target was...
Detention Operations on the Korean Peninsula: Historical Insights and Legal Risks

Detention Operations on the Korean Peninsula: Historical Insights and Legal Risks

by | Oct 15, 2025 | AoW Posts, Blog, Compliance, Conflict Classification

Detention Operations on the Korean Peninsula: Historical Insights and Legal Risks The United States Military Academy (USMA) offers internships and immersion programs every summer as part of the Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) initiative to expand...
Analyzing State Support to Non-State Actors – Part II: Response Options and Conflict Classification

Analyzing State Support to Non-State Actors – Part II: Response Options and Conflict Classification

by , | May 9, 2025 | Accountability, AoW Posts, Blog, Conflict Classification, State Responsibility, Use of Force

Analyzing State Support to Non-State Actors – Part II: Response Options and Conflict Classification As non-State actors assume an increasingly prominent role in international affairs, State support to them as a strategic tool for advancing political objectives has...
Conflict Classification in Eastern DRC: IAC, NIAC, or Both?

Conflict Classification in Eastern DRC: IAC, NIAC, or Both?

by , | Mar 31, 2025 | AoW Posts, Blog, Conflict Classification

Conflict Classification in Eastern DRC: IAC, NIAC, or Both? Enveloped in a myriad of armed conflicts, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recently witnessed a significant escalation of hostilities when the March 23 Movement (M23) seized the provincial capital...
Al Hassan Symposium – Towards the Acceptance of the Aggregated Violence Approach?

Al Hassan Symposium – Towards the Acceptance of the Aggregated Violence Approach?

by | Feb 7, 2025 | Al Hassan Symposium, AoW Posts, Blog, Conflict Classification, Law of Armed Conflict

Al Hassan Symposium – Towards the Acceptance of the Aggregated Violence Approach? Editors’ note: This post is part of a joint symposium hosted by the Armed Groups and International Law and Articles of War blogs. The symposium addresses the ICC’s judgment in the Al...
Criminal Groups as Parties to Non-International Armed Conflicts: The Standard of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador

Criminal Groups as Parties to Non-International Armed Conflicts: The Standard of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador

by , | Dec 30, 2024 | AoW Posts, Blog, Conflict Classification, Law of Armed Conflict

Criminal Groups as Parties to Non-International Armed Conflicts: The Standard of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador Editors’ note: This post builds upon the authors’ article-length work, “Is Ecuador Facing a Non-International Armed Conflict Against Organized Crime...