Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is introducing a motion to Parliament today (video here) that would extend Canada’s military mission against the Islamic State for another year and would authorize Canadian airstrikes against the Islamic State inside Syria for the first time.
If Canada begins the airstrikes inside Syria, it will join Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States in doing so and will become just the second NATO country to bomb the Islamic State in Syria. Thus far, NATO countries have largely stopped short of participating in the air campaign against the terrorist group inside Syria.
We will have updates on any important developments in this case, in the meantime, here’s a selection of past Just Security posts on the legality of airstrikes in Syria:
- The Backroom: An Inside Account of UN Sec-General’s Statement on US War in Syria by Ryan Goodman (Mar. 4, 2015)
- The Fine Line Between Collective Self-Defense and Intervention by Invitation: Reflections on the Use of Force against ‘IS’ in Syria by Claus Kress (Feb. 17. 2015)
- Assessing (Again) the Defensive Operations in Syria by Monica Hakimi (Jan. 22, 2015)
- Assad: Willing to risk direct confrontation with U.S. over moderate rebels—and stronger opposition to US airstrikes by Ryan Goodman (Jan. 27, 2015)
- Taking the Weight off of International Law: Has Syria Consented to US Airstrikes? by Ryan Goodman (Dec. 23, 2014)
- British Parliament Authorizes Airstrikes in Iraq; Debate Predictably Weighs in on Action in Syria by Ruchi Parekh (Sept. 30, 2014)
- Having Crossed the Rubicon: Arming and Training Syrian Rebels by Ryan Goodman and Michael Schmitt (Sept. 26, 2014)
- Australia, France, Netherlands Express Legal Reservations about Airstrikes in Syria [Updated] by Ryan Goodman (Sept. 25, 2014)
- Strikes in Syria: The International Law Framework by Jennifer Daskal, Ashley Deeks and Ryan Goodman (Sept. 24, 2014)
- Remarkable statement by UN Secretary General on US Airstrikes in Syria by Ryan Goodman & Sarah Knuckey (Sept. 23, 2014)
- Unwilling or Unable: A Roundup of Just Security’s Debate on the Legality of Airstrikes Inside Syria by John Reed (Sept. 23, 2014)