Regions

[Ruby Axelson is the Head of Gender and Child Justice at Global Rights Compliance. Tobias Freeman is a senior lawyer working with Global Rights Compliance in Ukraine and member of the IHL Centre's Expert Group on Inclusion. Danielle DerOhannesian is an international lawyer and former prosecutor specialising in child justice and trauma‑informed accountability for conflict‑related crimes against and affecting children.  Mykola Palamar is...

[Ariel Costa holds a doctorate in public international law and has worked with universities and research institutions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The author lives in the US on a temporary research visa. They are writing under a pseudonym because they are concerned this post will subject them to arrest or removal proceedings.] On January 3, US forces captured Venezuela’s...

[Mojtaba Touiserkani has a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Tehran] In early January 2026, Iran went dark. Protests that began as economically driven unrest—sparked by a collapsing rial—spread rapidly beyond Tehran and quickly widened in demands. The state answered with escalating force. On 8 January, authorities imposed a complete nationwide internet shutdown, severing the public’s ability to see,...

[Sanmay Moitra is a research assistant at ‘Human Rights in Practice’ and an Advanced LLM candidate at Leiden University. He has previously studied international law at the University of Oxford and Georgetown University.] On January 18, the full text of a Charter for Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ (BoP) was made public. Although UNSC Resolution 2803 had first authorised and conceived of the...

[Elodie Tranchez, PhD, is an international human rights lawyer and teaches public international law, including the law of treaties and the law of international organizations, at the University for Peace (UPEACE). Elvira Domínguez-Redondo is professor of law at Kingston University, specialising in international law, human rights and United Nations mechanisms.] On 4 January 2026, the United States adopted Executive Order 14199, withdrawing from a wide range...

[Serafeim Liakopoulos is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (LL.M.) and is currently a study visitor at the European Court of Human Rights] International comity, as understood by U.S. private international law, is not a binding rule of international law but a principle of discretionary deference towards foreign sovereigns and their legal acts. It encompasses a range...

[Elliot Dolan-Evans is a lecturer in law at Monash University and RMIT. Sophie Rigney is a senior lecturer in law at RMIT University and the author of Fairness and Rights in International Criminal Procedure (EUP, 2022).] On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down its latest ruling concerning Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). This Advisory Opinion was on...

[Nandini Bulchandani holds an LLM in international law from UCL and is an incoming foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa] Introduction On Monday 17 November 2025, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that sidesteps crucial international legal norms to foist a foreign administration upon Gaza.  Stripping law of effect and reanimating imperial hegemonies, UNSC Resolution 2803 is a...

[Thairi Moya Sánchez (PhD) is a full-time professor of public international law at Complutense University of Madrid] Over recent months, the Venezuela file has moved into an accelerated escalation: international airlines suspended or curtailed operations amid official safety advisories and mounting regional military risk; Washington announced coercive maritime measures against sanctioned oil shipments; and, on 3 January 2026, U.S. forces conducted...

[Diana Kearney is a former Visiting Instructor of Clinical Law at Cardozo Law School Human Rights & Atrocity Prevention Clinic] The Trump administration’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and subsequent announcement that the U.S. intends to run the nation is the administration’s most shocking move to date– a tall order for a President that has generated a steady torrent of...