Today marks 1000 days in the countdown towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon suggests four steps that the international community needs to take to achieve these goals. South Korea has reported its neighbor to the north has moved a missile to the east coast; the US has vowed to take "all necessary precautions" in response. World powers await...
The US has added Joseph Kony to its war crimes rewards programme and offered a US$5 million reward for his capture, after the recent coup in the Central African Republic forced the suspension of the manhunt for him. The US has moved missile defenses to Guam to respond to North Korea's nuclear threat, which Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel labeled a "real and clear danger" to the US...
As many of our readers may know, ASIL's 107th Annual Meeting with the theme of International Law in a Multipolar World is taking place in Washington D.C. at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel today through Saturday. Select highlights of the meeting include: The Grotius Lecture, with Emilio Álvarez Icaza, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as the Speaker and W. Michael Reisman, Yale...
As Julian already noted, the UN General Assembly passed the first-ever Arms Trade Treaty with a total of 154 states in favor, 23 abstaining and 3 (Iran, North Korea and Syria) opposing. North Korea has blocked access for South Korean workers to the joint-Korean Kaesong complex because of increasing tensions on the peninsula. Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip today,...
In response to an escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the US has deployed a warship to the region to shield against any ballistic missile attacks against South Korea. South Korea's President has ordered the military to respond strongly and immediately to any attack. North Korea has meanwhile pledged to restart the reactors at its biggest nuclear plant. EJIL: Talk! asks...
Kenya's Supreme Court has upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's election as president. Although there were some riots over the weekend and five were killed, the situation in Kenya is described as calm but tense. North Korea has described its nuclear weapons program as the nation's life, and has vowed to continue it despite the international sanctions. South Korea, meanwhile, has vowed a swift response to any...
Upcoming Events On April 2, a book launch co-sponsored by the ICRC and hosted by Georgetown Law’s National Security Law Society will take place along with a discussion on the Relevance of International Humanitarian Law in the United States after the end of hostilities at Georgetown Law School. More information can be found here. The Forum for Economists International holds its next conference May 31–June 3,...
North Korea has put its rocket units on standby aimed at the US air force bases in South Korea and the Pacific after the US flew two nuclear stealth bombers over the Korean Peninsula yesterday. Iran, North Korea and Syria have blocked the adoption of the UN Arms Trade Treaty, though the expectation is that with the text of the treaty...
Thailand has started peace negotiations with the Muslim separatists in its southern provinces. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has argued that Mali needs an 11,000-strong peacekeeping force and a parallel force for combat and counter-terrorism operations. Bush v. Gore in Africa? Kenya's Supreme Court has started hearing evidence to resolve the disputed presidential elections earlier this month. Theresa May, the UK's Home Secretary, has lost the appeal against a decision...
At the Arab League summit yesterday, a member of the opposition to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad took his vacant seat, a move that was met with applause from Arab heads of state. The BRICS have reached a deal approving a development bank that would rival Western-backed financial institutions. In his first appearance before the ICC yesterday, Congolese suspect Bosco Ntaganda has denied...
Following last week's apology, Israel and Turkey have started negotiations on compensation to the families of the victims of Israel's botched raid on the Mavi Marmara in 2010. During their annual summit, starting in Durban today, the leaders of the BRICS are set to approve the establishment of a new development bank and currency fund to compete with the World Bank and the IMF. Russian officials...
The EU has approved a new bailout for Cyprus. The leader of Syria's opposition has resigned. The Syrian crisis has also triggered a political crisis in neighboring Lebanon, as this article in the FT explains. The UN has reported that at least 35 have been killed over the weekend in Lubumbashi in southeast Congo when militia attacked the city before surrendering to UN troops. Violence in Mali continues as the army battles...
