The modern international order rests on a foundational promise: states must resolve disputes peacefully, and force may be used only as a last resort and only within the bounds of law. The US helped build this system after World War II, embedding these principles in the UN Charter and in its own Constitution. Yet the [...]
A recent investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes unit revealed that a senior Russian commander shared a meme among fellow officers that read, “It’s not a war crime if it was fun.” The sentiment is shocking, but it is not surprising—particularly given the context in which it was shared: alongside messages documenting the mutilation of prisoners, the [...]
Paramilitary forces in Sudan unleashed “a wave of intense violence…shocking in its scale and brutality” during their final offensive to seize the city of El Fasher last October, according to the UN human rights office. That clinical phrasing barely conveys what actually happened: a city starved, surrounded, and then assaulted in a way that left [...]
The war in Ukraine has entered a phase defined not by movement but by immovable political realities. Russia will not relinquish the Donbas or Crimea, territories it now treats as integral to its domestic narrative and strategic posture. Ukraine cannot accept any settlement that legitimizes territorial seizure by force without violating its constitution, undermining its [...]
The global security system is creaking under the weight of crises it can’t seem to manage. Wars grind on in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere. The Security Council is paralyzed by veto politics. The Secretary‑General is criticized from all sides. And into this moment of institutional fatigue steps a new player: President Trump’s “Board of [...]
“Armies are equipped and trained to vanquish enemies. If turned inward, they can easily become an instrument of tyranny.” —Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director for Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice The United States has long drawn a bright line between military power and civilian law enforcement. The Posse Comitatus Act (PCA) embodies that [...]
Across the past eight decades, the international community has experienced successive “waves” of atrocity accountability—periods in which global norms either strengthened or eroded in the face of mass violence, authoritarian resurgence, and geopolitical disruption. Today, the world stands at the threshold of a fourth wave: the Age of Aggression, a moment defined by the collapse [...]
For months, the United States has been carrying out a campaign of escalating force against Venezuela—one that now includes dozens of lethal maritime strikes, a naval blockade of “sanctioned” oil tankers, and, most recently, a drone strike on Venezuelan soil. The administration has acknowledged hitting a dock inside Venezuela that it claims was used to [...]
Once again, the US is politically meddling with the conflict in Ukraine. The back-and-forth of Washington’s destabilizing efforts to bring “peace” to the country is a blatant attempt to secure the Nobel Peace Prize for President Donald Trump, whose proposed 28‑point “peace plan” for Ukraine is not a blueprint for stability but a capitulation to [...]
As the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group steams into the Caribbean and US forces intensify operations against alleged drug traffickers, the Trump administration appears to be signaling a more aggressive posture toward Venezuela. While the official justification centers on counter-narcotics enforcement, the scale and symbolism of deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier suggest [...]
