1/Today marks 1 yr of the President's extrajudicial killing campaign at sea, carried out by the military—220+ people dead @justsecurity.org has tracked the legal, policy, & moral fallout from day 1 In calmer times, it would be the story of our era A few must-reads below, plus the full Collection:

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers, Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve

Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues.

justsecurity.org

My latest in @usniproceedings.bsky.social: "The warrior ethos is no longer a useful philosophy... While once that spirit offered some utility... the warrior ethos now is largely a stumbling block to the professional and ethical development of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines."

Where Exactly Has the Warrior Ethos Gotten Us?

The Marine Corps should revive its traditional ethos, emphasizing professional competence, readiness, honor, courage, and commitment for the demands of modern warfare.

usni.org

When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth polled top commanders in 2025 about cutting a program meant to protect civilians from harm during military operations, they all said it should be kept intact. Hegseth gutted the program anyway.

Top Commanders Told Hegseth Not to Cut Civilian Protection Program, Poll Showed. He Did It Anyway.

The U.S. military has killed hundreds of noncombatants since gutting its Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response mission last year. After significant blowback, the Defense Department is considering part...

propublica.org

Extraordinary, powerful and heart-wrenching. Active duty Marine Colonel Zach Schmidt, speaking in his personal capacity, about Khalil, an Afghan national whose family helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Khalil was deported by the U.S. on Friday to a conflict zone.

The recent IDF decisions to open criminal investigations in two possible war crimes cases, and not to do so in three others, can only be understood and assessed based on an understanding of the IDF's military justice system. In this piece, I explain its composition and processes.

Just Security@justsecurity.org · 2w ago

Expert Backgrounder: Military Justice in the Israel Defense Forces by @mikeschmitt.bsky.social:

Five years ago today, Kabul fell

Waving Afghanistan Flag

ALT: Waving Afghanistan Flag

static.klipy.com

here's the link to the article itself: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Norm Making from the Margins: Armed Groups, the Algerian War, and South–South Legal Politics | International Organization | Cambridge Core

Norm Making from the Margins: Armed Groups, the Algerian War, and South–South Legal Politics - Volume 80 Issue 3

cambridge.org

I spoke w @trbrtc.bsky.social, @sanjanamv.bsky.social re grave IHL concerns w this attack -What was the target? Likely a building, given munition. -Homes are presumptively civilian. What, if any, basis was there to believe it was being / about to be used to make effective contrib. to mil action? 1/2

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last mo.

The U.S. struck a family home on Iran’s Qeshm Island overnight on Thursday with a large-scale bomb, according to an analysis of videos, photos and satellite imagery by weapons experts and The New York Times. Iranian officials said the strike killed a boy and his parents.

I spoke to @thenewarab.bsky.social about the US attack on the ICC. Link below.

The New Arab@thenewarab.bsky.social · last mo.

The ICC's pursuit of Israeli officials over the Gaza war was a defining moment for international justice, but the backlash now threatens its survival:

From the great TM Gibbons-Neff: “Regarding the mujahedeen who were killed by your side, I do not know whether they or their families would forgive you,” Mr. Gulab said. “Those civilians may not forgive the foreign forces, but for me personally, I have my own authority and I have forgiven you.”

Why I Sought Out a Taliban Commander I Had Fought (Gift Article)

First as a Marine and then as a journalist, I spent years tied to Afghanistan. I returned one last time to speak to a former enemy in search of answers, and perhaps closure.

nytimes.com

In which I had the chance to explain why the answer is categorically no.

Al Jazeera English@aljazeera.com · 2mo ago

Can AI systems make moral decisions in war? https://aje.news/wsv71g

New piece in @theconversation.com: Rubio's "Antifa summit" is framed as a new start. But counterterrorism tools (NSPM-7) already put left-wing activists away for decades—worth asking what that means for civil liberties. theconversation.com/rubios-inter...

Rubio’s international ‘antifa summit’ takes place after Trump’s national security policy has already sent left-wing US activists to prison for decades

Almost a year after President Trump authorized preemptive law enforcement measures based on political or ideological beliefs, a wave of terrorism prosecutions against left-wing protesters has begun.

theconversation.com

Sharing a gift link to this because I know when I was caretaking my mom every ounce of validation that I was doing something emotionally, physically, professionally and financially impossible helped me feel less alone

Opinion | This Is One of the Hardest Jobs in America. Millions Are Doing It Alone. (Gift Article)

Behind closed doors, millions of Americans are stepping into one of the hardest roles they’ll ever take on: caring for their aging parents.

nytimes.com

From late 2021 to 2025, thousands of migrants from around the world traveled to Nicaragua to head north toward the US. Alena Shalaby & I argue in a new article that this was part of a state strategy to generate new revenues amid economic turmoil & sanctions academic.oup.com/migration/ar...

Transit migration entrepreneurship: Explaining Nicaragua’s state-controlled, profit-seeking transit migration industry

Abstract. How and why do governments develop profit-seeking migration industries around transit migration? Restrictive international migration policies, su

academic.oup.com

The call is open for 2026's ISA-APSA International Security Studies Conference in Los Angeles October 3-5 at the excellent UCLA Luskin Center conference center/hotel. Submissions open through July 6, & Bridget Coggins & I welcome proposals across security fields/topics www.isanet.org/Conferences/...

Great new review of our edited volume, Speaking Science to Power, which looks at how to advise policy-makers ethically. Love that this is being read outside poly sci. Check out the review:

Navigating the ethical dimensions of the science-policy interface

Guidance for researchers seeking to contribute science to the policymaking process typically focuses on technical training, such as how to write op-eds and policy briefs. An under-discussed but vital ...

nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com

VP on deleting X from his phone: "Not having that as a distraction, I think, has made me much more productive. You’re not scrolling all the time when you get 5 minutes. I can actually read something, as opposed to, you know, scroll or get distracted by X." www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...

Vance calls Pope Leo’s AI warnings ‘profound’

In an interview Tuesday with NBC News, the vice president said he is glad the pope tackled the topic. Vance also discussed why X remains off his phone after he deleted it for Lent.

nbcnews.com

Spent my afternoon with friends I served with and service members I’ve had the privilege to cover.

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.

slate.com

Does International Law Make A Difference? This is the question I've grappled with throughout my career. Read my wide-ranging conversation with the co-editors-in-chief of the Yale Journal of International Law. yjil.yale.edu/posts/2026-0...

Does International Law Make A Difference? In Conversation with Oona A. Hathaway

YJIL’s Vol. 52 reached out to Prof. Oona A. Hathaway for her thoughts about the current landscape of international law and her new role with ASIL.

yjil.yale.edu

Can U.S. civil-military norms survive a polarized America? 🎧 In this episode: the legality of boat strikes against suspected drug traffickers, the firing of top Pentagon officials, and the U.S. war against Iran. Listen now! goodauthority.org/news/can-us-... 🏷️ @profsaunders.bsky.social

Can U.S. civil-military norms survive a polarized America? 🎧

In this episode of Chalkboard Politics, Peter Feaver discusses the legality of boat strikes against suspected drug traffickers, the firing of top Pentagon officials, and the U.S. war against Iran.

goodauthority.org

Available later this month as an audiobook!

Shannon E French@sefrench.bsky.social · last yr.

Whoohoo! IT HAS ARRIVED! I gotta admit, the thrill of opening a box of freshly published books with my name on them never gets old. Thank you, @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social for a great author experience thus far. I hope those of you with an interest in the subject enjoy the new material! #booksky

Out tomorrow! How does AI-powered warfare fit in the rules of International Humanitarian Law? with @jessicadorsey.bsky.social, @elkeschwarz.bsky.social @janethanderson.bsky.social @svdberg.bsky.social @justiceinfo.bsky.social #AI #autonomousweapons #internationallaw #warcrimes #accountability

Twenty years ago today, CH-47 Colossal 31 went down in the heights above the Korengal during Operation Mountain Lion, with the loss of all 10 personnel aboard, including 3-71 Cavalry squadron commander Joe Fenty.

Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 2y ago

The night of May 4-5, as helos were starting to pull 3-71 Cav out of its blocking positions in the heights south of the Korengal, Chinook "Colossal 31" clipped a tree and crashed. All 10 men aboard died, including squadron commander Lt. Col. Joe Fenty. It had been 10 months since Red Wings.

To paraphrase the diva @queenofthinair.bsky.social; every day is ethics day. Also, it seems, not considering ethics in every decision is, well, a decision.

One of the field's most interesting scholars in civi-military relations writing on a very important and timely target.

Christoph Harig@charig.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Can civil-military relations scholarship provide prescriptive normative guidance for military leaders' appropriate behaviour in democratic backsliding? My new article in @journalofgss.bsky.social debates this civil-military conundrum academic.oup.com/jogss/articl... #CivMilSKy

As the global security landscape grows more volatile, Jenny McAvoy argues that funders need a better plan to back civilian protection. Guest Contributor, Jenny McAvoy Report: tinyurl.com/5e8fedsw #GlobalSecurity #HumanRights #Peacebuilding #InternationalLaw #Conflict #SocialImpact #SystemsChange

A Changing World Order Is Putting Civilians at Risk. Philanthropy Needs a Strategy

As the global security landscape grows more volatile, Jenny McAvoy argues that funders need a better plan to back civilian protection.

tinyurl.com

New article! @risabrooks12.bsky.social & I have a piece forthcoming in Security Studies presenting a typology of military responses when politicians erode democracy, ranging from partnering to blocking those efforts, + offering hypotheses & directions for future work kaithaler.com/wp-content/u...

MUST-read by @hbanai.bsky.social at @newlinesmag.bsky.social