Paul Barrett gave a talk earlier this week at Temple on his Law of the Jungle. It's a terrific journalistic account of the epic 20-year battle over Chevron's pollution of Ecuador's rain forest. For anyone with a vague awareness of the case the book supplies a highly readable cheat-sheet. I suspect like many with incidental interests in international law, I had...
The UN Ombudsperson’s office currently has jurisdiction over the 1267 sanctions regime, but the discrepancy between the due process afforded to individuals affected by that regime as opposed to other regimes has long been noted: individuals listed under the various sanctions regimes applicable to situations in Africa, and the Weapons of Mass Destruction regimes applicable the situations in Iran and...
In observance of United Nations Day on October 24, China's foreign minister Wang Yi issued a long statement expressing China's view of itself as a "staunch defender and builder of international law" (Chinese version here). As China-watchers know, China's Communist Party has just completed its "Fourth Plenum" (sort of a Party leadership strategy meeting) on the theme of the promotion of...
An interesting and significant hearing on the UN’s Privileges and Immunities in the Haiti Cholera case took place on Thursday morning, October 23, in the Southern District of New York. For plaintiffs, the hearing was a milestone because it represented the first time that they have had the opportunity to argue any aspect of their case regarding the cholera epidemic...
Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Africa Suspected Boko Haram militants have killed at least 17 people and abducted dozens in a series of attacks in the central region of Nigeria's northeast Borno State, the head of a local administration said on Sunday. Three UN peacekeepers were injured in northern Mali on Saturday when a...
Events ALMA and the Radzyner School of Law of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) invite you to the opening session of the Joint International Humanitarian Law Forum for the 2014-2015 Academic year. The session will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 18:30, in the meeting room of the Communication school (room C228, Arazi-Ofer Building, 3nd floor) at the IDC. In this session they...
I want to congratulate my friend -- and friend of Opinio Juris -- Dapo Akande on his promotion to Professor of Public International Law at Oxford University. It's a massive accomplishment, and one richly deserved. Here is a snippet of Dapo's impressive bio: Dapo Akande is also Yamani Fellow at St. Peter's College and Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics,...
Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Africa The top U.N. human rights official in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left the country after the government ordered his expulsion for publishing a report accusing the police of abuses, but a U.N. spokesman said on Sunday he would return. At least 22 people, most of them...
Right now, the Ebola virus is spreading across the Africa, and the ability of the most affected states – Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea – to stop and contain the virus is very much in doubt. Although only a few cases have been reported in the United States and Europe, it is clear that it will be impossible to completely...
This fortnight on Opinio Juris, Jens discussed how to get Quirin right when Quirin was wrong. Kevin asked for sources backing the US position on self-defence against non-state actors, while Kristen gave an overview of the legal issues up for debate at the General Assembly this fall. Julian expressed doubts about the strength of Greece's legal arguments for the return of the Elgin Marbles. We...
Amal Alamuddin-Clooney, Kevin's Doughty Street Chambers colleague, made news this week by visiting Greece as part of a legal team working for the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece from Britain. This is not ordinarily global tabloid fodder, but Alamuddin-Clooney's recent marriage means she will draw media attention wherever she goes. I don't doubt her legal credentials (as well as that of her...
For those interested in the 6th committee program at the General Assembly currently underway, the schedule is available here. Interesting topics are being discussed, including the Rule of Law, International Terrorism, Universal Jurisdiction, finalizing a draft UNCITRAL treaty on transparency in treaty based Investor-State disputes, and an update on the Responsibility of International Organizations. The ILC's report will be...
