In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Recent Posts

27 Feb

[Jennifer Trahan is associate clinical professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs (NYU-SCPS). She is also chair of the American Branch of the International Law Association International Criminal Court Committee and was a member of the American Bar Association’s 2010 International Criminal Court Task Force.] A little-noticed event has taken place.  Before he returned to Yale Law School, top State Department...

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27 Feb

Both Eugene and Maggie disagree with my claim that politically-motivated acts of violence on the high seas were not traditionally considered piracy under international law, but were instead simply criminal acts that the offended state could prosecute as it saw fit. Here is Eugene (my emphasis; combining two comments): The rule is clear as both a matter of customary international law...

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27 Feb

Western powers have said that Iran is considering their offer of lifting some financial sanctions in return for a scaled-back nuclear program from Tehran. Saudi Arabia has purchased a large amount of infantry weapons from Croatia and quietly funneled them to rebel forces in Syria. Fighting rages on in Syria, with battles nearing a 12th-century mosque in Aleppo, threatening to further damage the historic structure. Symantec Corp...

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27 Feb

As Julian noted earlier, the Ninth Circuit, in an opinion written by Judge Kozinski, has decided that anti-whaling activism qualifies as piracy if it involves violence against a ship on the high seas. I'm running short for time right now, but I want to briefly respond to Kozinski's key claim about the traditional understanding of piracy's "private ends" requirement (p....

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27 Feb

In a tartly worded opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed a lower court and granted a group representing Japanese whalers a preliminary injunction against the protest activities of Sea Shepherd.  Here is Judge Alex Kozinski's  instantly quotable opening to the opinion: You don't need a peg leg or an eye patch. When you ram ships;...

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26 Feb

Some leading Chinese scholars and prominent Chinese activists have been circulating a letter on Chinese social media calling for the National People's Congress (China's legislature) to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).   Here is an excerpt from the letter, which is carefully worded not to challenge the authority or the accomplishments of the current government. 2....

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26 Feb

The Associated Press has released a translation of a jihadist instruction manual (.pdf) of how to avoid being a victim of a drone strike found in a pile of garbage in Timbuktu, Mali. As thousands mourn the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail, fears of a revolt grow. The U.N. has called for an investigation into the death reportedly caused by torture. A rocket has been...

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25 Feb

South Korea has inaugurated its first female president, Park Guen-Hye, who now faces regional tensions amid North Korea's nuclear testing. In one of her first moves as president, she demanded an end to nuclear ambitions by North Korea. Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, has expelled US special forces from the key battleground Wardak province, because, according to Karzai's spokesperson, some US soldiers...

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25 Feb

Last fall, I was very pleased that, in conjunction with the publication of my book -- The Oxford Guide to Treaties, Opinio Juris was able to host an interesting (and I hope useful) discussion of the current state of international law on treaty reservations, including some prominent reactions to the ILC's recent Guide to Reservations by Harold Koh, Marko Milanovic, David Stewart and...

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24 Feb

Events On March 22, The Vermont Law School Chapter of the Federalist Society and The International Law Society at Vermont Law School are organizing Reaching Critical Mass: International and U.S. Law in the Wake of Modern Exigencies. The conference will explore the delicate balance between combating modern security threats, observing international law, and protecting human rights and civil liberties. Registration is...

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23 Feb

If you’re interested, I’ll be on C-SPAN Book TV tomorrow, Sunday, February 24, at 1:20 pm, talking about my book, Living With the UN: American Responsibilities and International Order. It runs about half an hour, and though I have no idea whether I’m especially interesting on the program, I very much enjoyed doing it – I thought the interviewer was...

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