In association with the International Commission of Jurists

General

07 Mar

This fortnight on Opinio Juris, Kristen discussed the Elders Proposal for Strengthening the UN and its proposals to change the selection process for the position of the Secretary-General Jens pointed out how the end of an armed conflict can be as legally complex as its start, and wrote about the proposed CIA reorganisation. Patryk Labuda contributed a guest post on hybrid justice in Africa Julian asked whether...

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06 Mar

According to the WSJ,  the "Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act"  that I discussed earlier this week may already have 64 declared supporters in the Senate.  This means that supporters are only 3 votes shy of enough to override President Obama's veto of this bill. Since the bill might actually become law, it is worth reminding supporters of the bill that it...

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03 Mar

As Washington continues to digest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's (possibly unconstitutional) address to the U.S. Congress criticizing a pending nuclear arms deal with Iran, a constitutional and political fight is brewing over the scope of the President's powers to make such an agreement and Congress's power to limit or overturn his agreement. A group of Senators re-introduced a bill last...

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02 Mar

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers proposed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act last week.  The proposed law would "would enhance U.S. monitoring of Hong Kong’s autonomy and human rights and ensure that these issues remain a cornerstone of U.S. policy," according to the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Chris Smith. Reactions in Hong Kong and China are already pretty negative. "We...

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02 Mar

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Africa The Malian government has signed a peace agreement with some northern rebel groups but the main Tuareg armed coalition asked for more time to consult its grassroots. Sierra Leone's Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana has placed himself in quarantine following the death of one of his bodyguards from Ebola,...

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27 Feb

Yesterday, as members of Congress continued to debate the need for a new AUMF against ISIS, lawyers for Guantanamo detainee Al Warafi have filed a new habeas petition to the D.C. District Court, arguing that the basis for detaining Warafi evaporated when the war in the Afghanistan ended. Specifically, the petition argues that the administration has conceded in prior litigation...

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24 Feb

If you haven't seen it yet, the Elders Proposal for Strengthening the UN is a must read.  Chaired by Kofi Annan, The Elders is an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. Released earlier this month at a conference in Munich, the four proposals are generating a lot of attention include: 1)  A new category of Security...

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23 Feb

Your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world: Africa A young girl with explosives strapped to her killed five people and wounded dozens at a security checkpoint outside a market in the northeast Nigerian town of Potiskum on Sunday, witnesses said. Boko Haram militants attacked an island on Niger's side of Lake Chad but the army repelled...

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21 Feb

Here is the advertisement, which I hope will be of interest to Opinio Juris readers: 3 x full-time posts & 1 x part-time (0.5 fte) post Lecturer: £33,476-£48,088 p.a / pro rata inclusive of London Allowance Senior Lecturer: £49,462-£56,975 p.a / pro rata inclusive of London Allowance The SOAS School of Law invites applications for 3 full-time and 1 part-time (0.5) Lectureships/Senior Lectureships in Law...

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21 Feb

This fortnight on Opinio Juris, Kevin recommended an article on China's proposed broad definition of terrorism, argued that there is no practice supporting the "unwilling or unable" test, and was surprised by the news that David Hicks' conviction for material support for terrorism has been voided. Julian questioned whether the Outer Space Treaty allows for private exploitation of the Moon's resources. Kristen advanced...

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16 Feb

On February 12, the UN Security Council unanimously passed an important new Chapter VII resolution – Resolution 2199 - to respond to terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. This resolution is significant for four reasons.   First, the resolution specifically targets the supply of oil. In other words, it attempts to degrade the supply chain and the support networks.  The preamble refers...

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