Japan has promised that it will not compromise on the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, calling them an integral part to the country's territory. It did not take very long for China to react. The High Court of England and Wales issued an injunction against the extradition to the United States of Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and Saudi-born Khaled al-Fawwaz...
Two explosions have occurred near Syrian military headquarters in Damascus. Hours before these two explosions, a Qatari emir said that Arabs must intervene in Syria in the absence of Security Council action. Foreign Policy offers an insight into a report about the torture tactics used by the government of Syria and their effects on children--sometimes with the children being the victims of the...
As Ken already pointed out in his post, the UN General Assembly meeting officially opens today in New York. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi have met in New York to improve US-Egypt relations and to discuss embassy security following the riots after the controversial anti-Islam video. It's getting busy around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, with Taiwanese fishermen and the Coast Guard briefly...
Leaders of Sudan and South Sudan met late Sunday to discuss borders and oil exports peace negotiations between the two countries have not yet finalized, with a breakthrough in security negotiations not yet reached. Syria's internal opposition met in Damascus amid airstrikes calling for a cessation of hostilities. A day after China called off celebrations on the 40th anniversary of Japanese-Chinese relations, it has...
A Syrian airstrike has killed at least 54 amid heavy fighting in northern Syria. At a UN Security Council meeting, Iran was attacked about the aid it is providing to Syria's government forces. At the IAEA's meeting in Geneva, Iran and Israel squared off about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East region. The US has lifted a ban on New Zealand naval ships...
Amnesty International reports that Syrian civilians are under "relentless" and "indiscriminate" attacks from Syrian forces. In news about the anti-Islam flim, The Innocence of Muslims, Saudi Arabia has demanded that YouTube shut down access to the film within its borders; an actress in the film is suing the director and YouTube for fraud, slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress; UN Secretary...
Syrian rebel forces clash with government troops near the Turkish border as UN envoy says the Syrian crisis is worsening. According to diplomats, Sudan and South Sudan have made progress on reaching a border deal. Iraq has re-opened its border to refugees from Syria, but is excluding young men from entry for security reasons. The European Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that UK...
The group claiming responsibility for a suicide bomb that killed 12 near Kabul, Afghanistan, including nine foreigners, said the attack was revenge for the anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims. Other protests throughout Asia and the Middle East were carried out in response to the film in multiple cities in Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Azerbaijan--and as far as Britain and Australia. NATO has ordered a suspension...
The UN's High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged an end to the violence brought about by the anti-Islam film released last week, while Hezbollah's leader called for a week of protests. Myanmar's Aung Sun Suu Kyi has begun her visit to the United States and is slated to receive the highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, and meet...
Upcoming Events On October 1-2, 2012, Leiden University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will host the Second Annual Expert Seminar on Foreign Investment Law, entitled: Foreign investment in the energy sector: Balancing private and public interests at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Registration is free, but space is limited. Friday, October 12, 2012, St. John's Law Review, St. John's Center for International and Comparative Law and St. John's...
As turmoil continues to spread in the Middle East, Google has temporarily blocked access in Libya and Egypt to the inflammatory anti-Muslim video, invoking exceptional circumstances but not relying on its guidelines prohibiting hate speech. It will not come as a surprise to frequent readers of our blog that our own Peter Spiro is quoted as approving of Google's decision, even though it raises questions...
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has begun his first European tour as president and will visit Brussels to discuss economic support, agriculture, job creation and investment in the Egyptian private sector, among other topics. Despite President Mursi’s call for calm, dozens are still protesting the film “Innocence of Muslims” outside the US Embassy in Cairo. Turmoil has reportedly spread to the US...
