This morning, Israel launched a major military operation against Iran targeting its nuclear programme, including facilities, individual scientists and military leadership. In this post, I will provide a  quick, preliminary analysis of the legality of Israel’s use of force against Iran as a matter of the jus ad bellum. As I will explain, Israel’s use…

Last week, the Trump administration sanctioned four judges of the International Criminal Court, who were subjected to an asset freeze and a travel ban simply for doing their job. Yesterday, the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom sanctioned two extremist Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence and…

State officials lie all the time. Authoritarian states are almost by definition systematically deceiving their own populations, attempting (and often succeeding) in devaluing the whole idea of truth. They do so using both traditional media (e.g. state-controlled TV and radio stations) and the tools of the digital age. Lies are the foundation of authoritarian control. Indeed, lies are…