In association with the International Commission of Jurists

June 2009

08 Jun

[Dr. Anne T. Gallagher is the Head of Operations at Equity International, Technical Director of Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project, and the former UN Adviser on Trafficking] My response to James Hathaway, written with the benefit of close involvement in the development of the new legal framework, as well as in its implementation at the national level in over forty...

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08 Jun

The Virginia Journal of International Law is delighted to continue its partnership with Opinio Juris this week in this online symposium featuring three articles and two essays recently published by VJIL in Vol. 49:4, available here. Today, Dr. Anne T. Gallagher, Head of Operations of Equity International, Technical Director of Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project, and former UN Adviser on...

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08 Jun

I'm not a comparative constitutional-law scholar, but I find it interesting that, pursuant to Section 44(iii) of the Constitution of Australia, no one can serve in Parliament who "[i]s an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent."  The solvency requirement harkens back to the bad old days of U.S. history, when most States prohibited individuals who did not own property from voting.  But...

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07 Jun

President Obama’s speech in Cairo was nothing short of remarkable. The issue of interfaith dialogue is dear to my heart, and his speech deserves to be studied and discussed far and wide. I cannot think of a more important message about the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world in American history. If you have...

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07 Jun

I loathe anonymous blogging and anonymous commenting.  I think that, in the absence of a compelling reason to remain anonymous, people who take provocative positions and vehemently criticize others should have the courage to do so openly, under their own name.  That's why I respect someone like David Bernstein, no matter how much I disagree with him. That said, I understand...

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06 Jun

In various posts on OJ about Predator drones, targeted killing, and such topics, I've made reference to a book chapter I've been drafting for Benjamin Wittes's forthcoming edited volume of policy essays, Legislating the War on Terror: An Agenda for Reform (Brookings Institution Press 2009).  I'm pleased to say that my chapter, Targeted Killing in US Counterterrorism Strategy and Law,...

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05 Jun

There's an important roundtable in the May/June issue of Boston Review on the subject.  (Who else finds Boston Review to be more interesting than the New York Review of Books these days?)  It includes a lead-off piece making the case by University of Toronto political theorist Joseph Carens, with responses from Alex Aleinikoff, Linda Bosniak, Gerry Neuman, Peter Schuck, and...

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04 Jun

I am not actually going to try and answer that question, but leave it to you.  However, I did not want to let the occasion go by without marking it.   The day it happened in 1989, I was actually at a human rights retreat organized by Henry Steiner and Philip Alston, a remarkable private meeting of human rights organizations, from...

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04 Jun

Last month, the Obama Administration informed the Senate of its treaty priorities via a letter from the State Department (you can access it here). The letter lists 17 treaties for which the Administration seeks Senate advice and consent "at this time," including (as predicted here and here) CTBT, CEDAW, and UNCLOS. It also lists 12 treaties "on which...

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04 Jun

I'm on the fly, but quickly wanted to post this update to my earlier posts on targeted killings and Predator strikes.  The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial execution, Philip Alston, has called for an investigation into US Predator drone attacks.  Here is a quick news story on it.  I think the press account somewhat overstates matters - I would characterize...

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04 Jun

Former guest blogger, Elizabeth Cassidy, passes along the following fellowship announcement from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This is a one-year funded fellowship, perfect for those who research religious freedom under international law and who might, in the future, be looking to join the academy: USCIRF Announces 2009 Crapa Fellowship Program WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on...

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03 Jun

Via Larry Solum and the indispensable Legal Theory Blog, I draw your attention to this sure-to-be controversial and provocative new article by Michael Stokes Paulsen, The Constitutional Power to Interpret International Law (Yale Law Journal 2009).  Here is the SSRN abstract: What is the force of international law as a matter of U.S. law: 'Who determines that force' This Essay maintains...

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