Explainer
What Is an Indiscriminate Attack?
International humanitarian law prohibits attacks that are not directed at a specific military objective or whose effects cannot be limited as the law requires.
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Topic: International humanitarian law
Explainer
What Is Command Responsibility?
Command responsibility can make military commanders and other superiors criminally liable for crimes by subordinates when specific legal conditions are met.
Explainer
What Is Universal Jurisdiction?
Universal jurisdiction allows national courts, under certain legal frameworks, to prosecute some grave international crimes even without the usual territorial or nationality link.
Explainer
Cluster Munitions Explained: Why They Are Banned by Many Countries
Cluster munitions scatter multiple explosive submunitions over an area and can leave dangerous unexploded remnants. A 2008 treaty prohibits them for States Parties.
Explainer
Landmines and the Ottawa Treaty: What Is Banned?
The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention prohibits anti-personnel mines for States Parties and requires stockpile destruction, clearance and victim assistance.
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Chemical Weapons Explained: What the Chemical Weapons Convention Bans
The Chemical Weapons Convention uses a broad purpose-based definition: toxic chemicals used to cause harm through their toxic properties can qualify as chemical weapons.
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Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas: Why Cities Face Such High Risk
Artillery, rockets, mortars, large bombs and missiles can cause wide-area blast and fragmentation effects that are especially dangerous in populated areas.
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Is White Phosphorus Banned? What International Law Actually Says
White phosphorus is not universally banned as a substance, but its use is constrained by international humanitarian law and, in some contexts, rules on…
Explainer
Drones in War: Are Armed Drones Legal?
Armed drones are not generally prohibited as a category. Their use is governed by the same core IHL rules that apply to other weapons,…
Explainer
What Does Proportionality Mean in the Laws of War?
Proportionality does not mean matching force with equal force. It is a rule about expected incidental civilian harm in attacks on military objectives.