This is a landmark month in the history of international law: with the accession of the Republic of Montenegro on August 2, the 1949 Geneva Conventions have become the first international treaty in modern history to achieve universal acceptance. Montenegro also acceded to the two 1977 Additional Protocols, bringing the number of States party to Additional Protocol I to...
I rarely listen to podcasts, but this podcast by Ann Althouse is definitely worth ten or fifteen minutes of your time. The first half discusses the irony of Judge Taylor’s decision requiring respect for the rule of law. Althouse says of Judge Taylor, “How dare you criticize the President for abusing power when you are blind to your...
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times both slam France today for what the NYT calls its “bait-and-switch tactics” in pushing for a robust 15,000-strong French-led UN force in south Lebanon to end the fighting and disarm Hezbollah, and then turning around and pledging only 400 troops to contribute to the force. The WSJ adds some unflattering remarks...
The Third Circuit earlier this month rendered one of the more interesting decisions I've seen on the subject of Executive Statements of Interest. In Gross v. German Foundation Industrial Initiative, available here, the Court was faced with a claim that interest in excess of DM 100 million was due on the DM 5 billion German slave labor settlement fund....
As some readers may know, I’m a big fan of comparing how domestic actors, including courts, address international law. Of course, the trouble with comparative research has always been accessing materials from foreign jurisdictions. But, help may be on the way. The Amsterdam Center for International Law is working with Oxford University Press to launch a new...
We are pleased that Professor Abraham Bell will be guest blogging with us for the next week or so. Professor Bell has a joint appointment with Fordham Law School and Bar Ilan Law Faculty in Tel Aviv. He has published widely in the area of economic analysis of property law, as well as in international law and the...
According to an unnamed U.S. official, the Iraqi High Tribunal may try Saddam Hussein posthumously if he is executed before a verdict is reached in the Anfal case, which is about to begin: The Anfal trial is to begin on Monday, but a verdict in the other case is expected on October 16, when Iraqi judges will rule on whether...
New York magazine runs the counterhistory here, with notable contributions from Andrew Sullivan, Tom Friedman, Fareed Zakaria, and Ron Suskind. ...
Yes, there is actually a song detailing the history and jursiprudence of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("CISG"). Here's the audiofile, brought to you by Professor Harry Flechtner at the University of Pittsburgh. It is certainly one way to liven up your contracts or international sales class. Download it while it is...
James Fallows has an important article in the current issue of The Atlantic Monthly (subscription required) that argues the United States is succeeding in its struggle against terrorism and that the time has come to declare the war on terrorism over. "Declaring Victory" is a long and thoughtful article that is difficult to summarize. But I will do...
As most of our readers already know, a U.S. federal judge has invalidated the U.S. government's program for wiretapping phone calls without a warrant. I know this is a hard issue, but this is one of the least persuasive opinions I've ever seen on this question. The judge found that the program (called the "Terrorist Surveillance Program") violated the...
I'm sure a few of our readers have some interest in the international legal aspects of the arrest in Thailand of John Mark Karr in the JonBenet Ramsey case. There is some discussion of the topic at the International Extradition Blog. Because it is surprisingly difficult to find information about the U.S.-Thailand Extradition Treaty on the Internet, I...
