Recognizing the limitations of current international systems based in The Hague, David A. Kaye provides a strategy for promoting national-level justice and accountability mechanisms to prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes.

John B. Bellinger III and Vijay Padmanabhan examine the legal questions surrounding detention for states engaged in conflicts with nonstate groups.

Recognizing the limitations of current international systems based in The Hague, David A. Kaye provides a strategy for promoting national-level justice and accountability mechanisms to prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes.

The controversial relationship between the United States and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is at a crossroads: After an initial period of hostility toward the ICC, the United States has in recent years pursued a policy of cautious engagement. Vijay Padmanabhan offers a backdrop of the U.S.-ICC relationship and policy recommendations for the U.S. delegation attending the Seven-Year Review Conference in May/June 2010.

Detainee policy that would mandate military custody for al-Qaeda suspects captured in the United States could have a detrimental impact on U.S. counterterrorism operations, say CFR legal experts Matthew C. Waxman and John B. Bellinger III.

The Obama administration, at first swift to move away from Bush-era detainee practices, has found itself struggling through a political and legal thicket about where and how to try those accused of war crimes.

Osama bin Laden's death is a real and symbolic blow to al-Qaeda, and its stature in the Middle East is already diminished by the pro-democracy movements in the region, but the group remains lethal. Seven CFR experts discuss.

Four experts discuss how legal and political developments should affect the Obama administration's promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

The Obama administration's recognition of the Libya's National Transitional Council as the country's legitimate government means freeing up funds for the group but also poses legal questions the State Department has to resolve.

The Obama administration will argue its operation against Osama bin Laden in Pakistan observed both U.S. and international law, and it appears any challenges will be mute, writes CFR's John Bellinger.

Within days of the 9/11 attacks, Congress authorized U.S. military and intelligence agencies to kill and detain terrorists. It is time to revise that authority on matters like detentions and drone attacks, says CFR's John B. Bellinger III.

The State Department will likely push for WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange to be prosecuted under all available statutes, including the Espionage Act, says CFR's John Bellinger, who notes the recent releases harmed sources and foreign relations.

CFR's John Bellinger expects the U.S. Senate to approve the START nuclear arms treaty with Russia this year and urges says the Obama administration to more actively pursue other treaties, including the Law of the Sea.

CFR's John B. Bellinger III, who served as legal adviser to the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, says while President Obama has emphasized an approach to closing Guantanamo "that's deeply grounded in American values," he has left the door open to continued criticism.

John B. Bellinger III argues that international law presents many obstacles to a quick U.S. intervention in Syria.

John B. Bellinger III says, "Over the last 230 years, the Senate has approved more than 1,500 treaties. In 2013, Mr. Obama must demonstrate leadership by putting greater effort in securing Senate approval of essential treaties that advance American interests, including the Law of the Sea Convention."

Jeffrey H. Smith and John B. Bellinger III say that because a nuclear-armed Iran is a real threat to the United States, the president does have reason to argue for his constitutional authority to use force against Iran, but legislative approval would give him stronger legal and political ground to do so.

John B. Bellinger III argues that Congress should reconsider the International Criminal Court.

John B. Bellinger III discusses the upcoming Supreme Court hearing of arguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, which will decide whether corporations may be sued in U.S. courts for violations of international law under the Alien Tort Statute.