The Somali piracy problem is not really a military one. No one doubts that the world's modern navies can overwhelm any pirates they find. The problem is really administrative and legal. For instance, France's recent reported capture of more Somalia-based pirates is kind of cool, but what has really been accomplished. According to this report, France is planning to take...
In response to Roger's recent survey, many of you called for more international law discussion here at Opinio Juris. In that spirit, here's an interesting nationality question to ponder as you enjoy your New Year's Day celebrations: It was already a packed flight from Amsterdam to Boston, but passengers and crew were more than happy to make room for one extra...
As I have mentioned before, France and the UK have expressed their willingness to support deferring the ICC's investigation of Bashir if the Sudan prosecutes Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb domestically. It doesn't look like the Sudan is going to take them up on their offer: [Ali Karti, the State Minister at Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs] reiterated the ability of...
The Jordanian Bar Association (JBA) is on a roll. In addition to participating in the seminar I discussed in my last post, the JBA has also asked the Jordanian government -- Jordan is one of three Arab states that have ratified the Rome Statute -- to formally request the ICC's Assembly of States Parties (ASP) remove Moreno-Ocampo from office because...
I know, fisking pro-Bashir propaganda is kind of a pointless task, but the article made me mad with its shameless inaccuracy. It's unfortunate that so many Arab readers -- the original article was published in the Al Rai Jordanian Daily -- are exposed to this kind of garbage concerning the ICC and Darfur. Without further ado, the fisking...
Great interview in Newsweek by Rod Nordland of Somali pirate Shamun Indhabur. My favorite quote is the pirate's plea for good government: Why has there been such an increase Somali piracy? In Somalia all the young men are desperate. There is wide unemployment in the country, there are no sources of income. One of the only sources we have had...
Medecins Sans Frontieres has published their list and report of the top-ten humanitarian disasters of 2008. Africa suffers its disproportionate share: Massive forced civilian displacements, violence, and unmet medical needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, and Pakistan, along with neglected medical emergencies in Myanmar and Zimbabwe, are some of the worst humanitarian and medical emergencies in the world,...
Having finally resolved the disclosure issue, the Lubanga trial is set to begin on January 26, a little more than one month from today. Unfortunately, the problems with the case continue: The senior trial lawyer in charge of the first case to be tried at the International Criminal Court has been taken off the case little more than...
The UN Security Council has passed unanimously a US drafted resolution authorizing attacks upon pirates, whether by land or sea. It is one of those rare security issues in which the great powers, and many small ones, have been willing to come together, at least in granting authority. As the Washington Post reports: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations...
I don't imagine there is any reader of OJ who is not aware of the suffering and devastation caused by malaria. So this is welcome news. A vaccine against the parasitic disease malaria cut illnesses by more than half in field trials and could be safely given with other childhood inoculations, two studies have reported. The vaccine, which will begin a...
An association of 15 human-rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, and the Save Darfur Coalition, released a devastating report today on the Sudanese government's cynical -- and mendacious -- PR campaign to convince the international community that it is committed to bringing peace to Darfur. Here is a snippet of the executive summary: This report focuses on four...
The Institute for War & Peace Reporting has a must-read article today about how ordinary Darfuris view the OTP's decision to seek arrest warrants for the rebel leaders allegedly responsible for killing 12 peacekeepers in 2007. According to the article -- and all the usual caveats about anecdotal evidence apply -- the response is uniformly negative: Yasir, an IDP (internally displaced...
