Critical Analysis: Protecting refugees in the midst of war

In the early days of April, the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) pushed closer to the center of Damascus, the Syrian capital, than they had been able to before.  They did this by seizing the majority of the Al-Yarmouk camp, a large refugee district in the southern part of the city.  The camp had once … Read more

The Chemical Weapons Convention: Preventative Measures Against Horror (Part 2 of 3)

This is the second blog post in a series of three blog posts discussing how the Chemical Weapons Convention prevents the use of chemical weapons through proactive measures by prohibiting both the use of and the preparation to use chemical weapons.  The first blog post described key features of the Chemical Weapons Convention.  This second … Read more

The Agitator: IHL permits limited reprisal attacks against civilians

The London Blitz

An oft-stated axiom of international humanitarian law is that civilians can never be targeted in armed conflict, enshrined by rules 48, 51(2) and 52(2) of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.  The International Committee for the Red Cross study of customary law affirms that under customary law civilians can not be targeted. However, the United … Read more