Search: Syria Insta-Symposium
23 Sep Guest Post: Pesky Questions of International Law: What’s the basis for air strikes in Syria?
...attention of the American public, but surely coalition partners would ask these questions: what was Obama’s basis for the legality of air strikes in Syria? It is somewhat troubling that President Obama took the step of supporting air strikes in Syria, without articulating any clear legal foundation at the international level. Just to be clear, the issue of air strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”) does not raise similar questions, as Iraq had earlier consented to the use of force. There are a number...05 Oct No Surprise: Why Libya but not Syria
most attention, the abstention by Syria’s neighbour, Lebanon (which holds the presidency of the Security Council) was just as illuminating. Apart from these key differences in the dynamics of the cases of Syria and Libya, there is another, more nuanced issue to consider. Why is it that anyone would, indeed, expect UN Security Council member states to successfully agree to condemn or sanction Syria? The answer seems to me to be that there is a prevalent belief that because it happened in Libya, it was feasible for it to happen...
20 May Pandemic of Hunger Symposium: Population Transfers and the Civilian Toll of Starvation as a Method of Warfare in Syria and South Sudan
groups formed fluid and often opportunistic alliances, gaining strength and forcing the Syrian Government to rapidly cede territory. From November 2012 and over the next six years, Syrian Government forces laid siege to dozens of opposition-held areas. The use of siege warfare across Syria was carried out in a planned and coordinated manner, and was characterised by repeated attacks against objects indispensable to the survival (OIS) of the civilian population, including open-air markets, bakeries, and venues offering humanitarian assistance. In two emblematic examples, the Syria Commission was mandated by the...14 Jun What do Appropriate Due Diligence Measures for Nonstate and Substate Partners Look Like? Part II: A Sample of US Practice in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan
...procedures aimed at mitigating or preventing abuse or misconduct by supported Syrian groups – to a surprising degree given the conflict context, the limited US force presence in Syria, and the absence in many cases of US domestic legal requirements to take such steps. The earliest US assistance to Syrian armed groups was the State Department non-lethal assistance (e.g., trucks, communications equipment, medical and humanitarian supplies) to select groups associated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which was underway by early 2013. From mid-2013, the CIA followed suit, covertly providing...
13 Aug Lessons from and for Syria: The Authenticity of Digital Evidence in Court
[Isabelle Bienfait is a programme co-ordinator at eyeWitness to Atrocities] Two recent convictions of Syrian nationals for crimes committed during the civil war merit attention. On 16 June 2025, Syrian-born Alaa M. was convicted by a Frankfurt court for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed at several medical and military facilities. A few weeks earlier, on 28 May 2025, a Paris court made headlines when it sentenced former spokesperson and senior official of the Syrian armed group Jaysh al-Islam, Majdi N., for complicity in the war crimes of conscripting...
15 Mar What Justice Can International Law Bring to Syrians?
Court of Justice A non-criminal option to bring accountability to Syrians is currently being pursued by the Netherlands and Canada. On 18 September 2020, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to inform the Syrian government that “the Netherlands has invoked Syria’s responsibility … under the UN Convention against Torture [CAT] … remind[ing] Syria of its international obligations to cease the violations and offer victims full reparation.” In accordance with the three-step process envisaged under article 30 of the CAT, the Netherlands have asked Syria to enter...26 Aug The Legality of a Syrian Military Intervention: Russia, France, and the UK Weigh In
...be? Anne-Marie Judson If Syria was removed from the United Nations, (because it is not abiding by United Nations Charter conditions) then Syria would no longer be a legitimate state, therefore United Nations member states would no longer consider Syria a state in the sense that it was to be protected by the United Nations rules and regulations. If this is at all possible then it would not be a question of intervention or attack in relation to the United Nations rules and mechanisms (in regards to the Security Council)...17 Jun Closing Remarks on Boumediene Insta-Symposium
I wanted to thank all of our participants for a wonderful “insta-symposium” on Boumediene. I certainly learned a tremendous amount from our guests and greatly appreciate their willingness to participate and thoughtfully engage. I wanted to end by addressing some of the comments expressed concerning the format of these insta-symposia, especially on the issue of diversity. In organizing this event, I took pains to find experts in the field who provided diversity in terms of viewpoint (left and right), seniority (young scholars and seasoned veterans), professional expertise (historians, advocates, military...