In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Recent Posts

29 Oct

I have posted to SSRN a substantially revised version of my forthcoming article Transnational Tribunals and the Transmission of Norms: The Hegemony of Process. Transnational tribunals, which I define as dispute resolution mechanisms that allow nonstate actors such as individuals and companies to sue states for alleged infringements of their rights, include regimes as disparate as ICSID arbitrations and the...

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27 Oct

Last weekend I had the great privilege to meet Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus. His speech (which you can watch here) was one of the most inspirational messages I have heard in years. He received several standing ovations and many in the audience were moved to tears. I brought my children to the speech and explained...

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25 Oct

Just in case our readers missed it, the Second Circuit in Khulumani v. Barclay National Bank rendered an extremely important award earlier this month on the subject of corporate aiding-and-abetting liability under the ATS. The decision, which involved alleged corporate assistance to the South African government during apartheid, is quite complicated and fractured. But the key part of...

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25 Oct

We would like to invite our readers to join us for a drink this Friday evening at the Opinio Juris Reception at International Law Weekend. The reception, sponsored by Oxford University Press, will be from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the Lobby Bar of the Algonquin Hotel, 59 West 44th Street (across the street from the New York...

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24 Oct

The government of Iraq has decided to formally revoke CPA Order 17, a move that would open the door to prosecuting Blackwater employees in Iraqi courts for killing 17 civilians last month:"The cabinet held a meeting yesterday and decided to scrap the article pertaining to security companies operating in Iraq that was issued by the CPA (Coalition Provision Authority) in...

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24 Oct

The European Council on Foreign Relations has just published a fascinating world survey and global "love/hate map." The "love map" and the "hate map" are especially fascinating because they identify which countries receive the highest approval and disapproval ratings in 52 countries. The survey results revealed the following: The largest survey of public opinion in the world shows...

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23 Oct

Even though it is a burgeoning field, Space Law doesn't always get the "air time" or recognition it deserves. Here are three blogs that make up for that. First, we at Opinio Juris want to welcome Res Communis, a new blog that is run by the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law at the University of Mississippi...

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22 Oct

As has been widely reported, a second Congolese warlord has been transferred to the ICC to stand trial:Germain Katanga, who led the Forces for Patriotic Resistance (FRPI) in Ituri, was flown from the capital, Kinshasa. Prosecutors say Mr Katanga - known as Simba - led the FRPI in Ituri in north-eastern DR Congo in 2003. He was arrested two years ago. He...

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22 Oct

Last month the Seventh Circuit, per Judge Posner, rendered an especially ill-informed and badly written decision upholding a Illinois statute that banned the export or import of horsemeat for human consumption. In the case of Cavel International v. Madigan, the Seventh Circuit ruled that there was only incidental discrimination to foreign commerce and there was a rational basis to...

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