Tom Dannenbaum
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
Tom Dannenbaum
@tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
Professor @law.stanford.edu | @stanfordcisac.bsky.social | @fsi.stanford.edu
International Law: IHL, ICL, IHRL, use of force, ethics
Editor, Just Security: https://shorturl.at/NuHYQ
Bio: https://law.stanford.edu/tom-dannenbaum/
Book: http://bit.ly/3HRrAs4
Pinned
Now @justsecurity.org

I join Alex de Waal (@worldpeacefdtn.bsky.social) to call on all states with any leverage at all over Israel to use it without delay to demand comprehensive, full-spectrum, sustainable, & coordinated humanitarian action.

Time has run out

www.justsecurity.org/117962/mass-...
Time Has Run Out: Mass Starvation in Gaza and the Global Imperative
It is time for comprehensive, full-spectrum, sustainable, and coordinated humanitarian action. States globally must act without delay on that imperative.
www.justsecurity.org
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
“Once countries feel there are few penalties for invading neighbors or seizing resources, all bets are off. As… Paul Musgrave put it, “We are about to speedrun the rediscovery of why states stopped acting like this.””

Why countries need to clearly & strongly oppose foundational norms violations
This Time Is Not Different (except there are even less competent people in charge, the international order is dead, and we have the foreign policy of a personalist dictatorship).
goodauthority.org/news/what-ha...
January 4, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
I joined two great legal experts, @mikeschmitt.bsky.social @tessbridgeman.bsky.social, on this analysis

In this thread, I highlight 3 items you may not see covered in same way, if at all, elsewhere.

Panama 'precedent,' safeguards for Heads of State, Venezuelan nationals new legal protections in US
International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela
Experts survey the international law issues of Operation Absolute Resolve.
www.justsecurity.org
January 4, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
"Now the first and foremost restriction imposed by international law upon a State is that – failing the existence of a permissive rule to the contrary – it may not exercise its power in any form in the territory of another State." - PCIJ, The Lotus
7/ We also note:

State Department Legal Adviser, Abe Sofaer written congressional testimony 1989:

“The United States has repeatedly associated itself with the view that unconsented arrests violate the principle of territorial integrity.” ...
January 4, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela

A survey of the top issues by leading experts, Michael Schmitt, Ryan Goodman and Tess Bridgeman
@mikeschmitt.bsky.social, @rgoodlaw.bsky.social @tessbridgeman.bsky.social

#OperationAbsoluteResolve
International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela
Experts survey the international law issues of Operation Absolute Resolve.
www.justsecurity.org
January 4, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
"an airstrike hit a three-story civilian apartment complex and knocked out an exterior wall early Saturday as U.S. forces assaulted the city."

"The strike killed Rosa González, 80, her family said, and seriously wounded a second person."
January 4, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
You can read my take on Trump's illegal invasion of Venezuela here: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Brazen Illegality of Trump’s Venezuela Operation
A scholar of international law on the implications of the U.S. arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
www.newyorker.com
January 3, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
On President Trump's stated intentions over Venezuelan oil:

"By the time Abraham Lincoln commissioned Francis Lieber to draft a code of laws applicable to the American Civil War, pillage was firmly established as a criminal prohibition in wartime."

2016 essay by Prof James Stewart
Trump’s Calls to Pillage Iraqi Oil
In his appearance with Secretary Clinton at NBC’s Commander-in-Chief Forum earlier this month, Donald Trump called for actions that amount to a war crime. Addressing US policies in the Iraq war, he sa...
www.justsecurity.org
January 3, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
In the Maduro capture operation, the Trump administration relies on Bill Barr’s (discredited) 1989 memo claiming a President can disregard the UN Charter (CNN report).

That is a loaded gun. The legal analysis is utterly flawed.

My assessment just published:

www.justsecurity.org/127962/madur...
Maduro Capture Operation and the President’s Duty to Faithfully Execute U.N. Charter: Assessment of 1989 OLC Opinion
A decades-old Office of Legal Counsel memorandum claiming the President can disregard the UN Charter does not withstand serious scrutiny.
www.justsecurity.org
January 3, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
"Mexico strongly condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally ... by armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in clear violation of Article 2 of the [UN] Charter"

www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/m...
January 3, 2026 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
THREAD: Verified videos of anti-establishment protests currently unfolding in Iran

Protesters push back police and security forces on Tehran's Jomhouri Street.

Location: maps.app.goo.gl/LKZH6YbnT2WE...

@geoconfirmed.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
December's boat strike death toll (so far)...
December 30, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
“Foreign ministers of 10 nations expressed “serious concerns” about a “renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in the devastated territory, saying the situation was “catastrophic””.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Israel to ban dozens of aid agencies from Gaza as 10 nations warn about suffering
Failure of groups including MSF and ActionAid to hand over staff details means they will not be able to operate in Gaza, say Israeli officials
www.theguardian.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Israel to halt ops of numerous humanitarian orgs in Gaza in 2026, including because they have supported legal cases against Israeli officials:
apnews.com/article/gaza...
List:
apnews.com/article/gaza...
NB: these orgs have key evidence of the war crimes about w/ Israel is demanding their silence👇
December 30, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
An attack in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and the Take Care Clause of the Constitution.

Seemingly conducted as covert action and then casually disclosed by POTUS while calling into a radio show.

www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/p...
Exclusive: CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast | CNN Politics
The CIA carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, marking the first known US attack on a target inside that...
www.cnn.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
New story with updates on our ongoing project examining the fates of 55 of Assad's most brutal enforcers: luxury lives in Moscow and Dubai, sure, but also properties in Spain, small apartments in Damascus, and some stuck on tourist visas. And one arrest. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
Assad’s Enforcers Brutalized Syria. Now They’re Living Large, Lying Low and Evading Justice.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
CBS didn't run the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT, but over here at @propublica.org we've been working on the story since March, including finding out who each and every man sent to that maximum security prison was.

You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
Deported and Imprisoned Archives
A case-by-case investigation that examines the Trump administration’s claims that these immigrants are all “sick criminals” and “terrorists” and that shows what they suffered during months in one of t...
www.propublica.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
As #Sudan’s catastrophic war nears 1000 days, civilians continue to pay an unbearable price.

Violence is intensifying, with Kordofan emerging as a new epicentre of death, displacement and blocked aid.

Civilians must be protected. Safe access must be guaranteed. Peace is urgent.
December 22, 2025 at 10:17 PM
This brazenly illegal practice is surely central to the arrest warrant applications ICC prosecutors prepared for Ben Gvir & Smotrich (only to sit on them, fearing 🇺🇸 sanctions that came anyway)
We don’t know if the applications were filed.
The violations continue
www.middleeasteye.net/news/icc-arr...
December 22, 2025 at 9:54 PM
In light of this disgraceful suppression at CBS, it is even more important to read and distribute this detailed @hrw.org and @cristosal.bsky.social report:

“‘You Have Arrived in Hell’ Torture and Other Abuses Against Venezuelans in El Salvador’s Mega Prison”

www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
December 22, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
Teaching a legal course this semester where recent armed conflict events are relevant, or know someone who is?

The IHL Syllabus Supplement connects educators with salient law and policy discussions.

Curated from JS archives by @bechamilton.bsky.social and Danae Askar.
International Humanitarian Law: Syllabus Supplements
This syllabus supplement offers curated articles intended to be combined with traditional casebooks in a law or higher ed classroom.
www.justsecurity.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
What has happened since the Court upheld the TikTok ban makes a mockery of the gvt’s claims that TikTok was an urgent national security risk—and of the court that deferred to those claims

Wrote w @jameeljaffer.bsky.social abt why TikTok should haunt the Court

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The US supreme court’s TikTok ruling is a scandal | Evelyn Douek and Jameel Jaffer
The decision means TikTok now operates under the threat that it could be forced offline with a stroke of Trump’s pen
www.theguardian.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
The United States and Russia continue to sanction and threaten ICC judges.

Just disgraceful.
December 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
While waging a murderous campaign in the Caribbean and threatening a war of aggression against Venezuela, the United States has now sanctioned two additional ICC judges for performing their judicial functions in the Palestine situation.

Gangsterism across the board.

www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-str...
ICC strongly rejects new U.S. sanctions designations against two ICC Judges
The International Criminal Court deplores the announcement of new designations for sanctions by the US administration against Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze (Georgia) and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin (Mongolia). These additional designations follow the earlier designation of nine elected officials of the Judiciary and the Office of the Prosecutor, drawn from all regional groups.These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions. Such measures targeting judges and prosecutors who were elected by the States Parties undermine the rule of law. When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.As previously stated, the Court stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities. It will continue to carry out its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes.The ICC values the consistent demonstrations of solidarity of States Parties, civil society and all those who support the rule of law and justice for the victims of international crimes. The Court will continue its work, with all partners, to ensure the effective and independent implementation of its mandate.For more information, please contact the ICC Public Affairs Unit: PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int. You can also follow the Court’s activities on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Flickr
www.icc-cpi.int
December 18, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
The sanctions that Trump has imposed on the ICC and UN rapporteurs have been deterring American human rights advocates and scholars from exercising their First Amendment rights. This letter--obtained by @mesa1966.bsky.social & @knightcolumbia.org--should help. knightcolumbia.org/content/trum...
Trump Administration Concedes That U.S. Researchers May Engage With Sanctioned U.N. Official
knightcolumbia.org
December 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM