In association with the International Commission of Jurists

General

05 Jan

As its title suggests, When Cooperation Fails has two distinct aims.  The specific empirical aim is to provide a definitive and theoretically informed account of one of the most bitter and politically charged international disputes of the past two decades, between the United States and the European Union over the regulation of genetically modified foods and crops.  Our theoretical aim,...

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04 Jan

I have just been informed that Sir Ian Brownlie, one of the true legends of international law, has died in a car crash in Egypt.  I have no other information, as it has apparently not been reported yet. Tremendously sad news.  I'm sure we will have much more information in the coming days....

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01 Jan

Happy New Year to all.  For those of you looking for "new" things in international law this year, check out the newly redesigned website of the Private International Law office in the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser (L/PIL for short).  It has links to other relevant websites and resources as well as listings of the status of U.S. treaties...

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29 Dec

A couple of years ago I wrote a paper on ways in which the American political class is riven by deep foundational disagreements about the proper way to approach transnational terrorism.  It is partly implicated in the “war” versus “law enforcement” argument, but actually it goes deeper than that — is it possible to have an offensive strategy against terrorism,...

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26 Dec

The New York Times has a very interesting article on the mining of rare earths, a group of elements that are particularly important for green technologies.  The Times piece begins like this: Some of the greenest technologies of the age, from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to very large wind turbines, are made possible by an unusual group of elements called rare...

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24 Dec

Since 1955 NORAD (and its predecessor CONAD) has tracked Santa’s each Christmas Eve and has answered questions for boys and girls about his progress. NORAD’s Santa tracking service uses interactive maps updated every few minutes at http://www.noradsanta.org. As Santa stops in each location, you can click an icon to learn more about that part of the world. There is also...

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21 Dec

Although most countries endorsed the Copenhagen Accord, few left Copenhagen in a positive mood. The general lack of enthusiasm about the outcome was exacerbated by the procedural wrangling on the final day about whether to “adopt” or merely “take note of” the Accord, which left delegates in a dispirited mood, both about the prospects for halting climate change and...

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20 Dec

The UN Secretary General ... circa 2050, Earth, talking with Kip who, along with Peewee, has just saved the Earth from invading aliens who were using the Moon as a forward base:
"Russell, I heard on your tape that you plan to study engineering - with a view to space." "Yes, sir.  I mean, 'Yes, Mr. Secretary'." "Have you considered studying law?  Many young engineers to want to space - not many lawyers.  But the Law goes everywhere.  A man skilled in space law and meta-law would be in a strong position." "Why not both?"  suggested Peewee's Daddy.  "I deplore this modern overspecialization." "That's an idea," agreed Mr. van Duivendijk.  "He could then write his own terms."
A couple of notes on this classic juvenile sci-fi book by Robert Heinlein from the 1950s, Have Spacesuit Will Travel.  Already proposing joint degrees!  What's "meta-law" supposed to be, anyway?  What about women skilled in space law and meta-law by 2050?  Do we like "to space" as a verb?  Does "the Law go everywhere"?
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15 Dec

One gets a new perspective on climate negotiations when your toes are about to fall off! It took me 8.5 hours of standing in sub-zero temperatures to get registered at the Bella Centre (and this is after I was only about fiftieth in line, showing up at 6.45am). There were thousands of people behind me when I last looked back....

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15 Dec

Monday, December 14 – The climate negotiations ground to a halt for much of today, as negotiators debated the organization of work for the second and final week of the meeting. The ostensible cause of the breakdown was concern among (some?) developing countries that the Kyoto Protocol (KP) track in the negotiations is moving more slowly, and getting less...

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