This week on Opinio Juris, we had two guest posts from Tomer Broude, the first giving an introduction to behavioral law and the second discussing a methodological framework to behavioral law. Carsten Stahn also delivered a guest post on cautioning against a new affirmative defense to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, in response to argumentation put forth by Harold Koh's Just...
Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Middle East A team of UN disarmament inspectors in Syria have begun the process of destroying the country's chemical weapons and production facilities. Turkey has lifted a decades-old ban on headscarves in the civil service as part of a package of reforms by the government meant to improve democracy. Asia Asia-Pacific...
Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Middle East The Security Council has urged the Syrian government to allow cross-border aid deliveries, calling on all parties to Syria's conflict to agree on humanitarian pauses in fighting and key routes for aid convoys. Russian President Vladimir Putin seems optimistic about Syria, saying global powers were "on the right...
Events On October 2nd, the University of Richmond School of Law will host an ASIL Speed Mentoring Panel event, described as: "a unique forum that will expose law students and new legal professionals to experienced international practitioners. The event will begin with a brief introduction of the panelists and several questions presented by D. Wes Rist, ASIL’s Director of Education and Research,...
It's been another busy week in international law and international relations. Here's a recap of a selection of the headlines from around the world: Middle East Israel and Palestine have agreed to intensify their peace talks with greater participation by the United States. Iran's foreign minister expressed hope that a meeting with top diplomats from the US and five other powers will jump-start...
Another week has gone by at Opinio Juris with much to say about current events in international law and international relations. In fact, this week, we hosted an online symposium on the recent book by Jeffrey Dunoff and Mark Pollock, Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations. In other coverage this week, Julian argued on how the UN Charter does not...
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi will join 37 former regime members in a pre-trial session in Tripoli over charges of murder and crimes allegedly committed during 2011 civil war. Despite Russia's claims that the UN report on chemical weapons in Syria is biased, the UN claims the evidence that rockets were used containing sarin gas is indisputable. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to...
Supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party have clashed with police amid a nationwide strike called to protest against the death sentence awarded to one of its senior leaders for war crimes. A nun working with survivors of displacement and abuse by the Lord’s Resistance Army in a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been awarded the world’s...
UN investigators found "clear and convincing evidence'' that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in an attack last month in Syria that killed hundreds of people though the report did not say who launched the attack in rebel-held Damascus suburbs. Kenya is canvassing support for a possible walk-out by African states from the ICC, whose prosecution of elected Kenyan leaders has revived accusations on the...
UN chemical weapons inspectors have handed their report into an alleged gas attack in Syria to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Secretary Ban stated in a UN meeting that an expert team's report will likely confirm the use of chemical weapons in the August 21 attack on Damascus. At PhD Studies in Human Rights, a post discusses Secretary Ban's comments and the...
Calls for Papers A call for papers has been issued for the 2014 Barcelona Workshop on Global Governance, happening January 9-10, 2014. The theme is Networks in Global Governance and the call is here. The Society of International Economic Law has posted a call for papers ahead of its Fourth Biennial Global Conference, to be held in Bern, Switzerland and hosted by the World Trade...
Residents in northeast Nigeria say at least 13 vigilantes and five Boko Haram members have been killed after the group launched attacks on the town of Benisheik. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied that he was behind a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people, as the White House pressed ahead with the effort of persuading Congress to approve a military strike to punish...
