Pre-emptive Self Defence

Here we go again? Last weekend saw yet another shock to the system, as the US and Israel launched an armed attack on Iran: the last week on the blog has seen some initial reactions. These are joined by analyses of the hard-fought (and already faltering?) EU-Mercosur trade agreement, regional shifts in dispute settlement under UNCLOS, an apparently…

After weeks of threats, the United States, joined by Israel, has launched military strikes against Iran. It remains to be seen whether these strikes will be fairly limited, or are the opening of an extended conflict. Whatever happens, though, one thing is clear – that this use of force by the US and Israel is manifestly illegal. It…

Yesterday, the United States joined Israel in its use of force against Iran by conducting a precision bombing operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites. Like Israel’s use of force before it, this use of force by the United States is, in my view, quite clearly illegal – a breach of the prohibition on the use of force…

On December 8, the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), augmented by other rebel forces, successfully overthrew the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad following more than five decades of rule by his family. As Assad’s regime fell, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a bombing campaign involving hundreds of air strikes in Syria against missiles, air…