Search: crossing lines
01 Aug Options for a Peace Settlement for Ukraine: Option Paper XII – A Dynamic Political Settlement: Adapting to the Evolving Post-agreement Context
...recurrence of conflict can be avoided. For instance, one of the major stumbling blocks in the implementation of the Minsk agreements, was parties’ competing interpretation of the sequencing of local elections, with the central government claiming that such steps can only be undertaken following a full withdrawal of foreign forces, while Russia maintained that elections ought to be held without delay. Such avenues ought to include a clear alternative pathway out of a deadlock created by an inability to adhere to settlement timelines (‘fall-back mechanism’). While such timelines are critical...29 Oct There is a There, There: The Political Geography of Cyberspace
...“you can count the number of lines feeding Africa on one hand.” However, the author argues: With cheap land, availability of natural resources and proximity to Asia, Europe and South America, Africa can provide fertile grounds for international data center activity. Big Internet companies such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, whose data center activity is mostly concentrated in North America and Europe, can start investing in the internet infrastructure of African countries by providing better connections, and in return can be allowed to establish data centers in areas with little...17 Feb Outraged Moderates and DoD Notes from 9/11
...same time – not only UBL [Usama Bin Laden]” (as discussed on p. 334-335 of The 9/11 Commission Report and in Bob Woodward’s Plan of Attack). In addition, the documents confirm the contents of CBS News’ Sept. 4, 2002 report “Plans For Iraq Attack Began on 9/11,” which quoted Rumsfeld’s notes as stating: “Go massive . . . Sweep it all up. Things related and not.” These lines were not mentioned in the 9/11 Commission Report or Woodward’s Plan of Attack, and to my knowledge, have not been independently confirmed...15 Oct Kavanaugh Appointment Foreshadows Looming Crisis for the Rule of Law
...Bar Association, which had previously rated Justice Kavanaugh “well qualified” felt it necessary to re-open its evaluation in light of the issues of “temperament” raised by the Senate hearing; the Senate did not wait for the outcome of this re-evaluation before moving to a final vote. This most recent spectacle illustrates a longer trend through which votes on Supreme Court appointments have over the years generally tended to become more and more divided on party lines (see: here and here.) In some cases, this has been due to party politics...21 Jan Not the Postnational President, Yet
...a global solution. The speech was hardly bold in this respect. The one passage pointing to something different: And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. The “lines...
16 Jul Your Guide to Ecocide – Part 2: The Hard Part
...be outright criminalized, full stop? I had similar reactions at the start of my studies, and have had many conversations along the same lines. In this post, I will explain why international environmental law (IEL) does not contain that type of outright prohibition and why it engages in balancing, and then I will map out some of the resulting options for a crime of ecocide. Each option raises its own problems, so we are left with imperfect choices. It is possible that someone – perhaps some reader of this post...
11 Mar Ukraine: How to End the War
...conflict. This would presumably enter into force at its choosing, when it has secured the territory it is really aiming for. A cease-fire would leave the invading armed forces in control of large swathes of Ukrainian territory beyond the Donbas, for instance along Ukraine’s Southern coastline around Odessa. Freezing the lines of control would effectively divide the country, potentially forever. Hence, any peace settlement would need to tie a cease-fire and the various other elements of the agreement to a front-loaded withdrawal of Russian forces. In addition, there would need...01 Sep Syria Insta-Symposium: Did Obama Consult His Lawyers Before War Powers About-Face?
Doesn’t sound like it, if you read between the lines of this AP account. Until Friday, everyone was assuming that congressional pre-clearance was not constitutionally required or otherwise warranted. Obama’s national security team was in agreement that while consulting with Congress was critical, there was no need for formal approval, officials said. Seeking a vote in Congress to authorize a strike wasn’t even an option on the table. You have to guess there were memos to that effect bouncing around State and Justice. Obama turned around on a dime after...
22 Feb Of Anti-Colonialism and International Legal Pedagogy: Can we Visualise a Post-Westphalian World?
...the sovereignty of non-Europeans. They lacked sovereignty because they were not Christians (Vitoria); they were savage (Grotius); they were not white (Westlake); they were not industrious (Vattel). Hardly the ramblings of nativist Neanderthals, the founders of European international law made these racialised claims, drawing new arbitrary lines when old ones floundered. As we learned from Antony Anghie, the colonial encounter shaped international law, universalising aspects of the European imaginary while simultaneously delegitimising those cosmologies that did not cohere. “Both the logic and dynamics of colonialism came to imbue the organization...