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24 Mar The Long Road to Democracy

long term is an open question. Iraq and Afghanistan are the obvious examples of the concern over long-term stability. With the recent increase in bombings and counter-demonstrations, Lebanon may slip into this category as well. And, on top of this, the U.S. can still “lose the peace” if it is not vigilant. The short-changing of democratization and stabilization initiatives in Afghanistan is an example of exactly the type of foreign policy we do not want. Nurturing democracies in post-conflict situations is a long, delicate, and expensive process. In Afghanistan, we...

30 Nov Do IHT Death Sentences Have to Be Ratified — And If So, by Whom?

...Consider the text of Article 134 of the Iraqi Constitution: The expression “the Presidency Council” shall replace the expression “the President of the Republic” wherever it is mentioned in this Constitution. The provisions related to the President of the Republic shall be reactivated one successive term after this Constitution comes into force. According to Article 134, the Presidency Council assumes all of the powers of the President for “one successive term” after the entry into force of the Iraqi Constitution. The question, then, is whether that term has already elapsed....

08 Nov Foreign Policy Implications of Mid-Term Elections

So how will the mid-term elections affect international relations? Here are my predictions of ten things to look for in the next two years: 1. House investigations on the war in Iraq. 2. House spending limits on the war in Iraq. 3. Cabinet level changes. 4. Democratic infighting about the road ahead in Iraq. 5. Trade Promotion Authority is not renewed. 6. Doha is signed in June 2007, on eve of TPA expiration. 7. Sharp congressional confrontation on executive power. 8. Stevens retires, and Bush appoints successful moderate conservative. 9....

20 Oct Can Japan Search North Korean Ships on the High Seas?

Cesare Romano Let's assume for a moment that it does authorize to stop and search North Korean vessels. What if North Koreans hide their wares on military ships? Does it apply even to those? The LOS Convention is absolutely clear that no one has the right to S&S military ships (Art. 95). Let’s say that the Security Council can override that norm (which is arguably also customary law). The fact is that S&Sing military vessels is very risky, and if I were god ole' Kim I would use them to...

24 Feb Elders Proposal for Strengthening UN

...best person to assume the post in January 2017. By tradition, the post rotates amongst different geographical areas of the world, and the next Secretary General would, under this system, come from Eastern Europe. Because of tensions at the UN between Russia and Western States, however, many predict it will be impossible to find a candidate acceptable to all. The proposal for implementing a merit based search with multiple candidates, and for a non renewable 7 year term therefore comes at an excellent time. Member states should take up the...

08 May Is the an International Human Right to Have an Abortion? Amnesty International Seems to Think So.

on what it does and not just what it says. Susan Yoshihara, PhD Director, International Organizations Research Group VP/Research, C-FAM Piero Tozzi With regard to Mr. Francesco Messineo’s assertion that “Amnesty International never stated that there is an international human right to have an abortion,” and the suggestion that I have been “intellectually dishonest” (!!), I offer the following points for your consideration. 1) As recently as 2005, Amnesty took the position in its published works that “There is no generally accepted right to abortion in international human rights law.”...

14 Aug Does international law bind superpowers?

...doesn’t “see” them. A reprisal is indeed hard to see because it hardly ever happens; it’s the threat of the reprisal that enforces the law.To SETH WEINBERGER: Of course international law reflects what states in the aggregate want to do. If it didn’t, it would have been a non-starter five thousand years ago. The only real difference is between long-term and short-term interests, which can vary from state to state and from time to time. State A may be in favor of rule R as a long-term general proposition, but...

09 Jun Al Jazeera’s Coverage of Zarqawi’s Death

...to affect things in a noticeable way (read today's reporting on the front page of the LA Times). The somewhat 'detached' tone adopted by al-Jazeera may reflect the better part of discretion when it comes to considering the impact a more thoroughly demonized portrayal of mythic proportions might have in the long term. For better and worse, the term 'terrorist' has been emptied of meaningful referent and moral approbation in the Middle East owing to its overuse and indiscriminate employment in popular and political discourse. For instance, those who fought...