Foreign Policy Essay
“Real” Deterrence? Identifying the Trump Administration’s Iran Strategy
Joshua Rovner Sun, Jan 26, 2020, 10:00 AM
When the secretary of state says "deterrence," it seems like he means something else.
Latest in Iran
Iran
Is Deterrence Restored with Iran?
Daniel Byman Fri, Jan 24, 2020, 8:00 AM
Both sides are sending mixed messages, which can be disastrous for deterrence.
Foreign Policy Essay
The Age of Open Assassination
Audrey Kurth Cronin Sun, Jan 19, 2020, 10:00 AM
The strike on Qassem Soleimani will weaken an international ban that has been an advantage to powerful states like the United States.
Iran
Was the Soleimani Killing an Assassination?
Shane Reeves, Winston Williams Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 2:12 PM
While the United States prohibits assassination as a matter of national policy, not every killing violates this ban. And even if the killing did not have an international legal basis, it may not necessarily constitute an assassination under the U.S. government’s definition of the term.
Podcasts
Fault Lines: Soleimani Fallout
Lester Munson Thu, Jan 16, 2020, 5:30 PM
The National Security Institute crew discusses the current state of affairs between Iran and the United States.
International Law
The Irrelevance of Imminence
Michael J. Glennon Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 9:08 AM
Customary international law and general principles of law recognized by civilized nations prohibit the assassination of governmental officials during peacetime.
Iran
Livestream: House Foreign Affairs Hearing on the Trump Administration's Iran Policy
Hannah Kris Tue, Jan 14, 2020, 11:55 AM
On Jan. 14, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing titled “From Sanctions to the Soleimani Strike to Escalation: Evaluating the Administration’s Iran Policy.” The committee will hear testimony from Richard Haass Ph.D, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations and Former State Department Director of Policy Planning; Ms. Avril Haines, a Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University, Deputy Director at Columbia World Projects, Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Mr. Stephen J.
Qassem Soleimani
Targeting Shahla’i in Addition to Soleimani: Unpacking the Legal Questions
Robert Chesney Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 6:45 PM
The U.S. may have attempted to kill a second Quds Force commander simultaneous with the Soleimani attack, this time in Yemen. The situation underscores the confusion that besets the self-defense justification.
Qassem Soleimani
Announcing "Context and Consequences of the Soleimani Strike," a New Lawfare E-book
Hannah Kris Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 2:07 PM
A new Lawfare Institute e-book, "Context and Consequences of the Soleimani Strike: A Lawfare Compilation," is now available on Kindle.
Article 51
U.S. and Iran Submit Article 51 Letters on Use of Force
Hadley Baker Thu, Jan 9, 2020, 6:09 PM
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Jan. 8, United States Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft reported the targeted killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani last week was an act of self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter in response to an “escalating series of armed attacks in recent months” by Iran and Iranian-backed forces on U.S. personnel. The letter adds that the U.S. is prepared to take further action “as necessary to continue to protect U.S. personnel and interests.”