Foreign Relations & International Law

Lawfare Daily: Investigating Atrocities in Post-Assad Syria

Natalie K. Orpett, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Jen Patja
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 7:00 AM
Commissioner on the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria Fionnuala Ní Aoláin discusses her work.

On today's podcast, Executive Editor Natalie Orpett speaks with Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, a professor at University of Minnesota Law School and a Commissioner on the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. They talk about the Commission's work investigating atrocities that occurred after the fall of the Assad regime, how to think about Syria's new government and the international community's response to it, and what it all says about global counterterrorism strategies.

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Natalie Orpett is the executive editor of Lawfare and deputy general counsel of the Lawfare Institute. She was previously an attorney at the law firm Jenner & Block, where she focused on investigations and government controversies, and also maintained an active pro bono practice. She served as civilian counsel to a defendant in the Guantanamo Military Commissions for more than eight years.
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is a Regents Professor, the Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy, and Society, and directs the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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