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Search: crossing lines

24 Jun

After weeks of anticipation, I finally had a chance to watch the premiere of Crossing Lines, the new NBC drama about a police unit that works for the International Criminal Court. As a police procedural, the show is not bad. William Fichtner is fantastic as always. Production values are extremely high. Bringing together detectives and investigators from a number of European states is a nice idea. And all the actors have nice accents. But as a show about the ICC, Crossing Lines is an unmitigated disaster. The problem, of course,...
24.06.13 | |

12 May

Ever since my friends at Wronging Rights flagged the upcoming NBC series Crossing Lines, which is about an ICC police unit, I’ve been scouring the internet for more information about what will no doubt be an absolute train-wreck of a TV show. Tonight I found this: Set in exotic locations around Europe, “Crossing Lines” follows a disgraced New York cop, played by William Fichtner, who finds redemption after joining an international police unit based at the Intl. Criminal Court in the Hague that investigates cross-border crimes and hunts down brutal...
12.05.13 | |

01 Aug

After much agonizing,I have reluctantly decided to discontinue my weekly analysis of Crossing Lines. Sadly, the last two episodes of the show have almost scrupulously avoided the ICC; mentions were limited to throwaway dialogue (“I’m with the ICC”) or logos on computer screens. Even worse, the most recent episode featured a brief but completely accurate discussion of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The show has simply made it too difficult for me to continue in my self-appointed role as protector of all things ICC. That said, I will continue to...
01.08.13 | |

05 Oct

I stopped watching Crossing Lines about five episodes into Season 2 – about the time the ICC started investigating a series of home invasions. (Yes, really.) I had no intention of watching again, but I decided to give the show one more try at the urging of my friend Mel O’Brien. So a couple of nights ago I watched the double episode that kicks off Season 3, which features an almost entirely new cast, including the excellent Elizabeth Mitchell and Goran Višnjić (who is Croatian, a nice touch). To be...
05.10.15 | |

01 Jul

Every week, for as long as the show survives, I’ll be blogging about Crossing Lines, the new NBC drama that features a team of detectives who work for the ICC. Today, my expert analysis of the second episode: It’s about art thieves. Really. It’s about art thieves. I’m not kidding. (And don’t get me started about how the team threatens to let a wounded man bleed to death if he doesn’t give them valuable information. Must have missed that provision in Art. 21(3) of the Rome Statute.) Back again next...
01.07.13 | |

09 Jul

We are now up to the fourth episode of Crossing Lines, the new NBC drama that features a team of detectives who work for the ICC. This episode, which concerns long-haul truckers who force families to hunt each other for sport, features a nice jurisdictional discussion after the team realizes that a German victim had been in Poland: Irish guy: “I’d say that crosses borders.” French guy (with frustrated look): “Yeah, but not ongoing. Okay?” Yes! The ICC does indeed lack jurisdiction over long-haul truckers who force families to hunt...
09.07.13 | |

15 Jul

This week’s Crossing Lines is a two-parter involving the kidnapping of a Russian billionaire’s son, so I’ll have more to say next week. For now, just take a gander at this exchange, wherein the French detective explains — read: defends — her team’s jurisdiction: Billionaire: “Who are you people, again?” French Detective: “We work out of the International Criminal Court.” Billionaire’s Wife: “Handling kidnappings?” French Detective (irritated): “Handling cross-border crimes.” Billionaire’s Wife: “I don’t understand. They took him across a border?” French Detective (irritated at concept of show): “No, Madam....
15.07.13 | |

09 Apr

...argument that “an essential legal element of the crime — crossing an international border — occurred on the territory of a State which is a party to the Rome Statute.” The argument assumes that it is not possible to distinguish between crossing an international border and being on the territory of the state on the other side. But is that correct? Can we really not view crossing an international border and being on the territory of the state on the other side as two spatially distinct acts? Although it does...
09.04.18 | |

21 Jun

...certainty and stability with respect to extended continental shelf resources and the setting of outer limits lines, particularly where the continental shelf borders the Area. Let me be specific about why U.S. acceptance of the Convention will foster certainty with respect to an extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from baselines. These reasons help explain why U.S. oil companies and both Republican and Democratic administrations have supported U.S. acceptance of the LOS Convention. First, outer limits lines based on CLCS technical recommendations under the Convention will likely be more...
21.06.12 | |

09 Jan

...the current stalemate is through the direct intervention of the international community. The EU Guidelines barring loans to Israeli entities established or operating in the Palestinian Territories, although very limited in scope, represent one relevant step in that direction. The recent EU-Morocco Agreement, beside being wrong from a political and moral point of view, risks to undermine these efforts. There are only two bad alternatives to the multilateral approach underpinning the guidelines approach. The first one is the sadly well-known “aggressive unilateralism” that Israelis and Palestinians showed in so many...
09.01.14 | |

26 Nov

Palestine moved one step closer to peace with the opening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt. With no international airport open, the Rafah checkpoint is the international gateway into Gaza. President Abbas was celebrating yesterday at the opening ceremony: “I think every Palestinian now has his passport ready in his pocket. Let them come to cross at this terminal whenever they want.” Or as one border crosser put it, “Today is a day of happiness for every Palestinian, the suffering is coming to an end…” The most prophetic words came...
26.11.05 | |

08 Jul

...the same way, the US prosecuted KGB agents for espionage when we caught them while at the same time tasking the CIA to conduct espionage against the Soviets. The non-crime violations of the laws of war also have peculiar rules. Someone who crosses lines without uniform cannot be punished if he successfully returns back through the lines to his own forces. You can punish a POW for attempting to escape, but if he is successful and gets back to his own lines then you can no longer punish him for...
08.07.14 | |