Oxfam reports that hundreds are being raped and killed in Eastern Congo as the army's deployment to fight rebels has created a security vacuum. The International Criminal Court announced its decision on providing reparations to victims in the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. IntLawGrrls offers two posts (here and here) with commentary about the decision. Foreign Policy offers more insight into the...
Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab has defected from what he terms the "terrorist regime" of President Bashar al-Assad, while violence rages on in Aleppo. IPS offers an insight into what these high-level defections mean for Syria's future. Syria is also losing support of its ally Iran, whose Foreign Minister will visit Turkey today to discuss the situation in Syria and the capture of...
Rebels have reported that they are coming under heavy attacks in Syria's Aleppo. Chinese media have told the United States to "shut up" about the dispute in the South China Sea and accusing the US of exacerbating tensions in the region. 19 people are dead after Kurdish rebels attacked military outposts in Turkey over the weekend. Israel barred the envoys of four state...
This week on Opinio Juris we provided a forum to two guest posters, Gabor Rona and Michael W. Lewis, who continued their earlier conversation on targeted killing over at Lawfare. In his first post, Gabor asked whether the politicians and military leaders in charge of defining the criteria for targetability will take a more liberal attitude because their own risk is zero and argued...
[Gabor Rona is the International Legal Director for Human Rights First and he is responding to a post by Michael W. Lewis] OK, let's forget about drones for a sec. After all, drones are simply a form of targeting. And targeting in war is a good thing. (Since killing is legal in war under certain circumstances, the alternative to targeted killing...
For various family reasons, I have been mostly off-line during the last few months, but I could not let slip by the sad news of the passing of Sir John Keegan, the renowned military historian and author of many works that certainly shaped my thinking and, I would guess, that of many readers. The Telegraph, for which he served as...
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has quit as Syria's peace envoy after becoming frustrated with "finger-pointing" at the UN while the battle in Syria rages on. IPS offers more context here. China has expressed its regret. Meanwhile, a UN resolution on Syria goes to the General Assembly today, criticizing the Security Council for failing to take action and denouncing the use of...
Syria's president Al-Assad has praised the government forces, but is keeping a low profile. US president Obama has signed a secret order to provide support to rebel forces in Syria. A video has emerged of men, allegedly loyal to the Syrian regime, being lined up in Aleppo being shot point-blank by rebel forces. In a recent report, Amnesty International has accused members of...
[Michael W. Lewis is a Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University where he teaches International Law and the Law of War.] I want to thank Gabor for continuing a discussion started over on Lawfare a couple of weeks ago and to thank Opinio Juris for allowing me an opportunity to respond. As I had the last word on Lawfare I...
Fighting rages on in Syria's Aleppo, trapping many citizens inside the embattled city. The tens of thousands who have managed to escape have become refugees, many struggling to find shelter and food. Libya's Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is seeking a trial in The Hague at the ICC, rather than in Lybia. His lawyers say a fair trial in his home country is...
Syrian forces have intensified their attacks on the crucial Aleppo, while rebel fighters say that they are holding firm in the city they expect will become the "regime's grave." Russian president Vladimir Putin has ratified a stricter adoption agreement with the US, wherein foreign adoptions will be subject to tighter restrictions and families wanting to adopt will be vetted more thoroughly. An...
[Gabor Rona is the International Legal Director of Human Rights First] Over at Lawfare, Mark Mazetti’s New York Times Magazine article “The Drone Zone” generated a rich discussion on targeted killing with entries by Ken Anderson, Geoff Corn, me, Charles Dunlap, Laurie Blank, and Michael Lewis. Mike took particular aim at my comments and I’m grateful to Opinio Juris for giving me the opportunity to reply. Mike says drones are good for civilians since...
