The ICJ Obligations of Israel Advisory Opinion - Mass Deprivation and Preventive Protection - Lieber Institute West Point This post addresses a more structural concern of the advisory opinion: how international law conceptualizes situations of mass deprivation

How does international law conceptualize mass #deprivation? In the ICJ’s 2025 AO on Israel’s obligations in the OPT, Tamar Luster argues that reliance on extreme factual indicators turns an early-warning standard into a post-catastrophe label. lieber.westpoint.edu/mass-depriva...

A picture of a snowy street in Lvi with city lights

If you sometimes wonder where to look for hope in 2026, amid constant news of crisis in democracy and international law, I would suggest this: look to Ukraine. 🇺🇦

My editorial for @verfassungsblog.de on Lviv — and what we can learn from this city:

verfassungsblog.de/laboratorium...

If you’re unfamiliar with the conflict in Myanmar, I recommend following Su Myat Thwe‘s insightful work on the desperate situation. I had the pleasure of working with her on a brief overview of the conflict for @articlesofwar.bsky.social:

The ICJ Obligations of Israel Advisory Opinion – How Indispensable Is the UN After All? - Lieber Institute West Point This post focuses on the “indispensable character” of the UN and the provision of humanitarian aid by new types of private actors.

In late October 2025, @CIJ_ICJ delivered another #AO in relation to Palestine. @jemtseva.bsky.social discusses in her post the “indispensable character” of the #UN and the provision of #humanitarianaid by new types of private actors. lieber.westpoint.edu/how-indispen...

A Decisive Moment Concerning Individual Rights and the Law of War? - Lieber Institute West Point The question of whether individuals can hold rights under IL has hovered at the edges of international jurisprudence for a century.

I’ve been wondering how the ICJ might address the law governing relief in armed conflict. Ahead of the opinion’s publication on Oct. 22, I sketched out some interpretive approaches that may inform the Court’s reasoning for @articlesofwar.bsky.social👇

lieber.westpoint.edu/decisive-mom...

Our workshop may be over, but that doesn‘t mean the conversation is. It has been an incredible two days of reflecting on customary #IHL and the ICRC‘s 2005 study. The series to our event between @articlesofwar.bsky.social
and @voelkerrechtsblog.org launched today - follow along!

Prosecuting the Starvation War Crime in Germany: The Yarmouk Case - Lieber Institute West Point Yarmouk case is the only case in the world to investigate the deliberate starvation of Syrian civilians, making it a landmark trial.

The #Yarmouk case is thus far the only case in the world to investigate the deliberate starvation of Syrian civilians. @rosalauterbach.bsky.social argues that the addition of the #starvation charge marks a significant development in the prosecution of #warcrimes. lieber.westpoint.edu/prosecuting-...

Zitatkachel der Autorinnen Jara Al-Ali und Hannah Franz mit dem Inhalt: "Umfassender Schutz im Verfahren der Freiheitsentziehung ist und bleibt ein Eckpfeiler des Rechtsstaats."

Der verpflichtende Rechtsbeistand bei Abschiebungshaft soll wieder abgeschafft werden.

Angesichts einer Fehlerquote von 50-90% in diesen Fällen sagen JARA AL-ALI und HANNAH FRANZ: Rechtsbeistand ist alternativlos.

verfassungsblog.de/abschiebunge...

#47 Hungersnot: Belagerungen und Blockaden im Lichte des humanitären Völkerrechts Völkerrechtspodcast · Episode

Ich war letzte Woche im #Völkerrechtspodcast, wo ich mit @diekjobst.bsky.social über Belagerungen, Hunger im Krieg, den bewaffneten Konflikt in Gaza und die Folgen der israelischen Verweigerung humanitärer Hilfen an die Zivilbevölkerung gesprochen habe.👇

open.spotify.com/episode/6wXx...

Analyzing State Support to Non-State Actors – Part I: Primary Obligations and Attribution - Lieber Institute West Point Armed conflicts are frequently characterized by State support to non-State actors as a means of advancing the former’s strategic objectives.

Armed conflicts are frequently characterized by State support to #nonStateactors. @mikeschmitt.bsky.social & Alex Hernandez provide a normative framework for analyzing one State’s support to non-State actors engaged in hostile activities directed at another. lieber.westpoint.edu/analyzing-st...

Lieber Studies Series – Why the Term “Humanitarian Corridor” is a Misleading Expression - Lieber Institute West Point Establishing a humanitarian corridor is in fact a military operation, enforced by military means but with a humanitarian label.

@jlgrgn.bsky.social explains that the term #humanitariancorridor poses both legal and practical challenges. She warns that their establishment indicates a lack of prior compliance with law and discusses why they may even endanger #civilian protection. lieber.westpoint.edu/why-term-hum...

Israel-Hamas 2025 Symposium – Releasing Civilian Hostages and Returning Hostage Remains - Lieber Institute West Point The public spectacles organized by Hamas for the release of the civilian hostages and the return of remains constitute clear LOAC violations.

Legal questions have arisen regarding the manner in which Hamas has been releasing #hostages & returning the remains of those who have died. @mikeschmitt.bsky.social explains that public spectacles organized by Hamas constitute clear #LOAC violations. lieber.westpoint.edu/releasing-ci...

Mein Beitrag für @articlesofwar.bsky.social zur neuerlichen Verweigerung von Hilfslieferungen in den Gazastreifen ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch beim @verfassungsblog.de erschienen:

Sudan: The Case for Recognising All Conflict-Related Sexual Violence as Torture - Lieber Institute West Point CRSV is frequently treated as a lesser crime, rather than what it fundamentally constitutes under international law: torture.

The accounts emerging from #Sudan compel a re-examination of how IL classifies #CRSV. Natalie Nunn argues that without formal recognition as #torture, CRSV risks becoming diminished in legal frameworks that treat it as secondary to other forms of violence. lieber.westpoint.edu/sudan-case-r...

Die neue Ausgabe der KriPoZ ist erschienen, auch mit einem Beitrag von mir zur Verfolgung des Aushungerns der syrischen Zivilbevölkerung als Kriegsverbrechen. Dazu könnte der GBA gerade eine nahezu einmalige Gelegenheit haben. Hier geht‘s zum Heft:

Even if one were to assume that humanitarian aid could lawfully be withheld to advance a military objective, it cannot serve as a bargaining chip in an ongoing ceasefire when negotiations grind to a halt. Here‘s my argument on @articlesofwar.bsky.social:

Völkerrechtler. Deutschland muss Netanjahu bei Besuch festnehmen Friedrich Merz sollte seine Einladung von Israels Premier Netanjahu überdenken, sagt der Völkerrechter Kreß. Bei einem Besuch müsste er festgenommen werden.

‚Deutschland ist völkerrechtlich in der Pflicht, die Festnahme (von #Netanyahu )zu vollziehen,‘ sagt der Kölner Völkerrechtler Prof. Claus Kreß. Und er hofft, dass #Merz auf den Pfad der ‚Rechtstreue‘ zurückkehrt. Außerordentlich hörenswertes Interview ⬇️

www.deutschlandfunk.de/merz-einladu...

Terror, Chaos, and Shame: When Information Operations Constitute War Crimes - Lieber Institute West Point The harmful consequences of information operations have led to considerations of when they may qualify as an international crime.

The informational dimension of #armedconflicts has provoked an important debate around the legal framework applicable to #infoops. Lindsay Freeman analyzes how provisions of the #RomeStatute could apply to the malicious dissemination of “conflict content.” lieber.westpoint.edu/terror-chaos...

Zitat: „Ebenso wenig wie Haftbefehle innerstaatlicher Gerichte dürfen Anordnungen von internationalen Strafgerichtshöfen von der Bundesregierung unterlaufen werden.“

Friedrich Merz hat angekündigt, dem israelischen Premierminister Netanjahu einen Deutschlandbesuch ohne Verhaftung zu ermöglichen.

Warum ein solcher Besuch sowohl mit dem Völkerrecht als auch mit der Gewaltenteilung in Konflikt geraten würde, zeigt KAI AMBOS.

verfassungsblog.de/rechtsbruch-...

The #Ukraine-#Russia conflict has evolved into a #hybrid battlefield where #unmanned systems increasingly support conventional forces. @sambendett.bsky.social & David Kirichenko delve into the use of #autonomous, remote-controlled, & #AI-based systems in Ukraine. lieber.westpoint.edu/continuing-a...

Al Hassan Symposium - Superior Orders: A (Hopefully) Overlooked Afterthought - Lieber Institute West Point Three pages of the Al Hassan judgment mark the first occasion on which the ICC has engaged with the defence of superior orders.

Three pages of the #AlHassan judgment mark the first occasion on which the #ICC has engaged with the defence of #superiororders. Fin-Jasper Langmack explores Article 33 of the #RomeStatute & analyzes the question of superior orders in the judgment. lieber.westpoint.edu/superior-ord...

The Presumption of Civilian Status in Cases of Doubt: A Vital Rule in Increasingly Unsettled Times - Lieber Institute West Point This post considers the presumption in favour of civilian status, and the danger of its erosion in international humanitarian law.

Armed #conflicts have become increasingly urbanised, digitalised & asymmetrical. #Civilian engagement in armed conflicts has increased alongside these trends. Mina Radončić & Ash Stanley-Ryan consider in their post the #presumption of civilian status. lieber.westpoint.edu/presumption-...

Al Hassan Symposium – The ICC’s Coerced Confession Double Standard - Lieber Institute West Point This post addresses ICC's Al Hassan’s conviction for unlawfully passing sentences without guarantees of rights to fair trial.

The #AlHassan judgment is a righteous milestone for the #ICC & #ICL. Michel Paradis addresses Al Hassan’s conviction for unlawfully passing sentences without guarantees of rights to #fairtrial, but he also turns the mirror on the trial chamber. lieber.westpoint.edu/iccs-coerced...

Al Hassan Symposium – Towards the Acceptance of the Aggregated Violence Approach? - Lieber Institute West Point This post explores the scholarly debate addressing classification of armed violence in IHL in light of the judgment in the Al Hassan case.

The #AlHassan judgment may mark a new chapter in the classification of #armedconflicts debate, as the judgment seems to have abandoned the trad. fragmented approach. @chiararedaelli.bsky.social explores class. of armed #violence in #IHL in light of the judgment. lieber.westpoint.edu/towards-acce...

Aus dem Abseits in die Mitte der Demokratie: Die Normalisierung der radikalen Rechten im Bundestag und ihre Konsequenzen Nun ist es passiert. Initiiert von Friedrich Merz – dem Kanzlerkandidaten der Union – verabschiedet der Deutsche Bundestag am 29. Januar 2025 Anträge zur Migrationspolitik mit den Stimmen der CDU/CSU,...

Für den @verfassungsblog.de habe ich aufgeschrieben was diese Woche im Bundestag bedeutet. Der Höhepunkt der programmatischen Anpassung an die AfD. Ein Dammbruch der zu ihrer Normalisierung und Legitimation führt. Eine dunkle Stunde für die deutsche Demokratie.

verfassungsblog.de/aus-dem-abse...

Merz’ Anbiederung an die AfD: Das war’s mit der Brandmauer

Merz ist es „gleichgültig“, mit wem er Migrationsgesetze beschließt. Er beklagt den Kontrollverlust des Staates und verliert die Kontrolle über sich.

For AoW’s Year Ahead Series, I wrote about destructive war rhetoric as a LOAC issue. When rhetoric conflates civilians with enemy armed forces, it contradicts key aims & principles of the law, potentially inciting the commission of war crimes. This problem must be taken more seriously in the future:

NATO Interoperability When Targeting Indispensable Objects - Lieber Institute West Point Interoperability of rules binding all States versus those applying only to parties to certain treaties requires deliberation and compromise.

An important question that has the potential to rattle the legal balance between #NATO members pertains to the obligation to refrain from #targeting objects indispensable to the survival of the #civilian population, argues @rosalauterbach.bsky.social. lieber.westpoint.edu/nato-interop...

Perfect occasion for a first post where the sky is blue:
8 days left to send us your abstracts on the ICRC‘s Study of Customary IHL. The Study turns 20 next year, and we are planning a workshop for young academics in Bochum to address critical issues. Find out more: iipsl.jura.uni-koeln.de/yrw-2025