Search: Syria Insta-Symposium
10 Sep Obama Walks a Thin Line on ISIS
...sovereignty issues will be triggered. In Syria, the situation is more complicated. U.S. forces will be acting with the consent of the opposition there, though whether Assad will give his consent to operations in Syria seems unlikely. But perhaps the U.S. will rely exclusively on proxy forces in Syria. He was vague on this. There was no discussion of Security Council authorization, though he did discuss the need for a coalition to fight ISIS. My view is that ISIS represents a far greater threat than al-Qaeda ever posed. ISIS currently...06 Mar The Seemingly Inexorable March of “Unwilling or Unable” Through the Academy
...translation). The letter acknowledges that there are no longer clear boundaries between Iraq and Syria, and that IS presence in Syria poses a direct threat to Iraq. The letter expresses understanding for the American efforts against IS in Syria, while observing that the US has invoked the right of collective self-defence under Article 51 UN Charter. On the other hand, it is noted that: ‘strict conditions apply for the exercise of this right, especially when an (imminent) armed attack emanates from an armed group such as IS. What is determining...08 Jan Profiling International Child Abduction Suspects
...U.S. Citizen going to Syria—with no relatives over in the Middle East... Hakeem Haseeb—was not use to Syria—and he died with my child while trying to survive over there. Trying to put propane in a Gas Tank in their apartment building. Living on $50 a month and being supported by Syrian Muslims—-and the country of Syria claims they had no formal knowledge that Hakeem and Adam Haseeb were in their Country?? Back in the year 2000—There was no War going on—so I felt the State Department and the US Embassy...09 May A Brief Response to Kevin Heller’s Comment About My Post
...time when those initiatives were launched, that is what the states then felt they could achieve. That was a political, not legal, calculation. 3) We don’t have any actual decision or pronouncement on the legality of the veto in the face of atrocity crimes; we have no ruling whether there are or aren’t any restraints imposed by international law. 4) The Syria vetoes aren’t about authorizing outside intervention—which I agree can cause more harm than good. Look at the actual Syria vetoes (cited in an early post of mine) –...28 Aug Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, August 28, 2013
On the day we mark 100 years of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the US and its allies are readying for a military intervention in Syria with Australia saying it would back military action, even without a Security Council resolution. Action may come within days. China’s top paper accused the US of wanting regime change in Syria and likened any military action the US might take to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein 10 years. The Long War Journal reports that jihadists in the area are also concerned about US...23 Sep Does the Collective Self-Defense Justification Extend to Khorasan? If Not, Then Is There One?
I agree with Jens’ excellent post on the importance of the “unwilling or unable” standard to the US justification for legal strikes on non-state actors in Syria. I agree this action may reveal state practice supporting (or rejecting) this legal justification. I am curious whether the UK, France, or other states that may be participating in Syria strikes will embrace this theory. (I already know the Russians have roundly rejected this US justification). I also wonder whether this legal justification will weaken, as a policy matter, the ability of the...
07 Jun Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Symposium: Innovations, Lessons Learned, and Good Practices From CIJA’s Investigation Into the Slave Trade
[Stephanie Barbour is the Senior Sexual and Gender-based Violence Adviser at the Commission for International Justice & Accountability. This is a post in our joint blog symposium building on the discussion focusing on accountability for conflict-related sexual violence crimes associated with slave trade, slavery and trafficking , held as part of the Digital Dialogue Series , hosted regularly by the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict .] The innumerable crimes in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq are among the most documented...05 Mar International Law vs. Donald Trump: A Reply
[Harold Hongju Koh is Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. This post is a response to the recent Trump Administration and International Law Symposium hosted on Opinio Juris.] Can international law save itself from Donald Trump? Since Election Night 2016, that question has haunted me across many issue areas. Professor Craig Martin and the Washburn Law Journal editors generously invited me to offer an initial answer in their recently published symposium issue in an article entitled “The Trump Administration and International Law.” As I prepare my book-length...