UC Irvine should be ashamed of itself. This is about as rude and discourteous as one could possibly imagine. Chancellor Drake issued the following statement of apology: This behavior is intolerable. Freedom of speech is among the most fundamental, and among the most cherished of the bedrock values our nation is built upon. A great university depends on the...
The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), in partnership with ASIL and the One Earth Future Foundation, have released a report entitled: "Suppressing Maritime Piracy: Exploring the Options in International Law". It is a useful report, and it is the product of a very smart and knowledgeable group of international law experts including friends of this blog like...
[Associate Professor Maxine Burkett is the Director of the Center for Island Climate Adaption and Policy at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.] With the uncertain — and deeply disappointing — conclusion of the COP15, one thing has become crystal clear: states and vulnerable communities must explore alternative avenues to address the climate crisis and...
The UN's new temporary quarters, during renovations, are not too popular with the staff. For the next four years, the United Nations' nerve center, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office, will be situated in a squat, three-story, corrugated steel building on the U.N.'s north lawn that looks like a cross between a suburban big-box store and a high-security lockup facility. Bantánamo, a nickname embraced...
Last Thursday, February 4, the Lieber Society of the ASIL (the laws of war interest section) sponsored a program at ASIL's Tillar House in DC to discuss the draft model manual on air and missile warfare that has been slowly evolving through the "Alabama process" and the International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative based at Harvard University. Claude Bruderlein, director of...
We are delighted to introduce the inaugural online symposium issue of the Melbourne Journal of International Law ('MJIL') hosted by Opinio Juris. We would like to thank Opinio Juris, and Kevin Jon Heller in particular, for inviting us to participate in this partnership. We hope that this partnership contributes to the global reach of Opinio Juris by providing an Asia-Pacific...
The Administration and Personnel Division at the International Court of Justice has asked us to inform our readers that the Court is looking to hire new clerks. According to the announcement, the General Assembly has assigned the Court six additional clerkship positions, permitting each judge to have a full-time clerk of his or her own. The vacancy announcement can be...
I am delighted to announce that Opinio Juris has formed a partnership with the Melbourne Journal of International Law, one of the leading non-US journals in the field. Twice a year, beginning tomorrow, we will be hosting the same kind of symposia that we have been holding the past couple of years for the Yale Journal of International Law and...
Last week, the U.S. and Canada reached an agreement to permit Canadian firms to bid on projects funded by U.S. stimulus money based on the legislation enacted last year. The confusing part is just how exactly this will occur. According to CTV, Canadian firms will be exempted from "Buy American" restrictions under seven of the stimulus programs, in 37 U.S. states...
Eight Oscar nominations and accolades at the Museum of Tolerance -- not a bad week for Mr. Tarantino: Last night at a special community screening at The Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance, internationally renowned rabbi Marvin Hier addressed the film’s growing cultural significance among a panel that included Tarantino, ‘Basterds’ producer Lawrence Bender, actor Eli Roth ...
Apparently, the Obama Administration has decided it will not seek ratification of the ICC Rome Statute. There is still no official policy, as far as I know, but this is the latest from Assistant Secretary of State for War Crimes Stephen Rapp. This is not exactly a surprise, but it shows just how far the U.S. is from the Rome...
Here's a wonderful story from my friend and former student Jeff Cook on the wonderful work he is doing in Cambodia with International Justice Mission to fight child prostitution. Jeff Cook is a former law clerk to Judge Urbina in Washington, D.C. and a former associate at O'Melveny & Myers. Here is Jeff's account of the conviction of...
