As I note in my post above, Change.org has launched an ambitious new blog, War and Peace. A sampling of recent posts, to give readers a taste of what the blog -- which obviously has a broad mandate! -- covers: "IRA Splinter Faction Nostalgic for the Old Belfast"; "Hey, Russian Media, There Is No 'Number War' in Bosnia-Herzegovina"; "Is the...
Give the Trial Chamber credit, it has at least has stopped pretending that its decisions make any legal sense whatsoever: It said on Monday that Karadzic's appeal request was too vague and premature because at the time of his application, no counsel had been appointed to him. "Granting the application now, and then potentially again on 1 March, 2010 ...
My former colleague, current friend, and somewhat-regular OJ contributor Dan Bodansky has published The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law. Here is Harvard University Press's description of the book: International environmental law is often closer to home than we know, affecting the food we eat, the products we buy, and even the air we breathe. Drawing on more than two...
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Registry made no attempt to comply with the Appeals Chamber's decision in Seselj. I have now learned that the Registry arranged for Dr. Karadzic to meet with five defence barristers, including Mr. Harvey. Dr. Karadzic was then given a deadline to choose one. Instead, citing Seselj, Dr. Karadzic asked for a copy of...
When I critique the US's refusal to join the ICC in my international criminal law class, I make sure to emphasize not only that the US has traditionally played a very positive role in ICL -- from Nuremberg to the SCSL -- but also that the Rome Statute would be considerably worse but for the input of the American representatives...
The ICTY has appointed Richard Harvey, a barrister with Garden Court Chambers in London, to serve as Dr. Karadzic's stand-by counsel. There is no question that Mr. Harvey is more than qualified for the position: in addition to defending a number of individuals accused of terrorism-related offences in the UK, Mr. Harvey has served as the lead counsel in one...
I haven't irritated OJ purists by blogging about (international) sports for a while, so I think it's only appropriate to point out that, for the second time in two years, the French have stayed alive in a World Cup only by the grace of pathetic officiating. The most recent outrage comes courtesy of soccer (being American, I refuse to call...
One of the remarkable differences between the Obama Administration and the Bush Administration in terms of international litigation is the utter silence of this State Department in filing amicus briefs and/or statements of interest. I know that Harold Koh has only been Legal Adviser since June and Sarah Cleveland has only been Counselor on International Law since September, but...
[Major John C. Dehn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law, US Military Academy, West Point, NY. He currently teaches International Law and Constitutional and Military Law, and is also a former prosecutor. He is writing in his personal capacity and his views do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense, the US Army, or...
This story from the New York Times about the corruption of Teodoro Obiang certainly hits close to home. His $35 million dollar estate in Malibu is just down the hill from Pepperdine. Several times a year, Teodoro Nguema Obiang arrives at the doorstep of the United States from his home in Equatorial Guinea, on his way to his...
I am forwarding this call for papers from Tim Waters at Indiana to be presented at a forthcoming conference on the Milosevic trial. Looks like a great event. The Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Russian and East European Institute and Center for West European Studies announce a major conference in Bloomington, Indiana on February 18-21, 2010. The conference...
The Fifth Circuit earlier this month issued a highly unusual decision addressing whether state law could "reverse preempt" the New York Convention. As any student of international arbitration knows, state law occasionally attempts to limit the enforceability of arbitration agreements. Such a policy is preempted by the New York Convention as implemented by the Federal Arbitration Act. ...
